Is this the best England Rugby team since 2003?

Indeed. I would make us strong second favourites on current form though.

@Burnley123: I agree. England is the second best team behind NZ at the moment. However to win a World Cup you must win three knock out games regardless who you face there. In 2007, the Boks did not face NZ, Australia and France on their win to the title.

@Mugin16: That is a very good point. I am so pleased with Eddy Jones. From where we were just two years ago, the turnaround has been remarkable.

@Burnley123: Eddie Jones is one of the best coaches. Top 5 for sure. However most of the current England players were brought in the national team by Stuart Lancaster. He deserves a bit of the credit too. Jones shows the difference between a good (Lancaster) and a great (Jones) coach tough.

@Mugin16: Lancaster also tried to get England to play more expansively. They weren't ready but it did lay the groundwork. He was probably too nice though whereas Jones is no bullshit and sets higher standards. The RFU deserve credit for picking the right man.

@Burnley123: Yes, true. It did not hurt that they could pay far more than the Stormers could and that the Japanese Rugby Union pissed off Jones who originally wanted to stay with Japan until the 2019 RWC.

@Mugin16: Interesting info and thanks for that. I still think that England underachieve generally as a Rugby nation. Given our money and player base we should be competing at the very top regularly. Not rung behind Australia and at the same level as Wales and Ireland, which is where we have been for most of the last fourteen years. Jones is getting the maximum out of what he has but I worry that it is an over-achievement. Coaching and youth development still lags behind the best in the world.

@Burnley123: True enough but in the end you end about 30 excellent players to be a top rugby team. In England rugby is also the sport of a minority. In NZ, Wales and the Afrikaner community in South Africa they get every talented young lad because everybody plays rugby. There and only there rugby union is the national game.