England coach Eddie Jones hopes to put the pain of last year’s World Cup final defeat to good use when his side face France in the climax of the Autumn Nations Cup at Twickenham on Sunday.
Jones’ men were overpowered 32-12 by South Africa in Yokohama, the Springboks crushing England’s dreams of a second World Cup crown.
For Jones, it was a second World Cup final reverse after taking charge of his native Australia when they were beaten by England in the 2003 showpiece match in Sydney.
England, following an impressive semi-final win over reigning champions New Zealand in Japan, were many people’s favourites to win last year’s final, something Jones believes may have contributed to their eventual defeat.
“I probably reflected on that World Cup final week every day,” Jones told reporters after naming his team to play France on Friday.