Eddie Jones says England probably went into the 2019 Rugby World Cup final too confident.
He also says he should have let his players celebrate their semi-final win over New Zealand properly, then drawn a much harder line under it. He said it on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, in an episode published on 11 November 2026. Next to him sat Jonny May, England’s left wing in that final, who did not accept the explanation.
So which was it for you: England’s heads, or England’s scrum?
What Jones Said He Would Change
James Haskell asked him what he would change about the week of the final (from 11:13 in the video). His answer, from the captions: tactically England were right. The effort was there. The one thing that was off was emotion, and England probably went in too confident (11:27–11:34).
With hindsight, he said, he might have let the squad celebrate more at the end of the semi-final and get it out of their system, then told them plainly that a new game had started (11:42–11:56). He said he did those things, but was probably not as hard on it as he should have been (11:56).
A minute earlier he had called the final a missed opportunity (10:27–10:35). “I still haven’t slept since the 2019 World Cup final,” is how the show’s own write-up of the episode quoted him in its headline.
He compared it with 2015, when he found Japan players still watching replays of their 34–32 win over South Africa and gave the squad a dressing-down before the Scotland game (12:08–12:25). The show did not mention the result that followed: Scotland beat Japan 45–10 in Gloucester four days later, after leading only 12–7 at half-time. The reset he holds up as the model did not produce a win.
Does The Match Back Him Up?
England beat New Zealand 19–7 in Yokohama on 26 October 2019. Jones named the same starting XV for the final. A week later, on 2 November, in the same stadium, South Africa won 32–12.
Kyle Sinckler, England’s tighthead (the prop on the right of the front row, who anchors the scrum), went off concussed in the third minute. The Springboks then won a string of scrum penalties. Handré Pollard kicked 22 points and it was 12–6 at half-time. No amount of humility on the Monday keeps a prop on the field in the third minute.
The scoreboard does leave Jones some room. England never led, yet they were only six points behind, at 18–12, when Makazole Mapimpi scored in the 66th minute. Cheslin Kolbe added the second try in the 74th. What England never did was play like the side that had beaten the All Blacks seven days earlier, and that gap is the thing Jones is trying to explain.
Which Part Have We Heard Before?
Most of it. In his 2019 book, My Life and Rugby, Jones wrote that the praise after the semi-final was over the top and that the job was to bring the players back to reality, as RugbyPass and 1News reported that November. In the same weeks he said he had picked the wrong team. In December 2020 he said England had not attacked the week of the final the way they normally did, according to RugbyPass.
In our search of his book coverage and interviews from 2019 to 2025 we could not find him saying that the cure was to let the players celebrate more, or that he was not hard enough on them afterwards. The emphasis has moved too: in 2019 the mistake he owned was on the team sheet, and in 2026 he says the tactics were right and the mood was wrong.
Why Jonny May Does Not Agree
May answered him straight away (13:12–13:45). His point, in paraphrase: Jones has nothing to regret or lose sleep over. England did everything they could and were the best-prepared team at that tournament. Then they lost Sinckler, and the scrum gave away penalty after penalty.
One more point was made at the table before the talk moved on (13:45–14:03): that the Springboks, written off as underdogs, had the emotional edge that day. That is close to Jones’s argument from the other side.
Why It Matters On Saturday
Jones is in his second spell as Japan’s head coach. Japan play England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 14 November 2026, kick-off 4.40pm GMT, in the Nations Championship.
England arrive after beating Australia 45–22 on 8 November. Later in the same episode (from 50:33) Jones said England had had a good win and would be praised all week. This time Steve Borthwick is the coach who has to manage that week, and Jones is the opponent.
Quick Answers
What did Eddie Jones say about the 2019 World Cup final?
On The Good, The Bad & The Rugby (published 11 November 2026) he said England’s tactics and effort were right, but that they probably went in too confident.
What was the score in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final?
South Africa beat England 32–12 at International Stadium Yokohama on 2 November 2019. Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe scored the tries and Handré Pollard kicked 22 points.
When do England play Japan?
Saturday 14 November 2026 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, kick-off 4.40pm GMT, in the Nations Championship. Eddie Jones is Japan’s head coach.
Source: The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, “Eddie Jones on Rassie, Ruckgate and England’s Biggest Mistake!”, published 11 November 2026. Eddie Jones and Jonny May were the guests and James Haskell asked the questions. The 2019 final is discussed from 10:27 to 14:03: watch from 10:27. Their remarks are paraphrased from the video’s captions, with timestamps; the one direct quote is as printed by the show.
Comments
No one has weighed in yet.
Be the first - what did you make of it?