England have regained their swagger under Eddie Jones, claims Alex Corbisiero

A record-equalling 14 successive Test victories is at stake for Jones' men this autumn

Duncan Bech
Tuesday 08 November 2016 19:57 GMT
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Corbisero is predicting a clean sweep of southern hemisphere scalps
Corbisero is predicting a clean sweep of southern hemisphere scalps (Getty)

Alex Corbisiero believes Eddie Jones has developed an element of "arrogance" in England that will see them swagger into their autumn program.

South Africa open the series when they visit Twickenham on Saturday, followed by Fiji, Argentina and Australia with a record-equalling 14 successive Test victories the prize at stake come December 3.

Since Jones took over in the wake of last year's Wold Cup disaster, England have been crowned Grand Slam champions and posted an historic 3-0 series whitewash of the Wallabies.

Corbisiero, who began a sabbatical from the game last year after winning 20 Red Rose caps and two for the British and Irish Lions, predicts a clean sweep of southern hemisphere scalps over the coming weekends.

"What Eddie has done well with England is honing their mindset and developing their ruthlessness. They have a bit of arrogance that they play with now," Corbisiero said. "I think that arrogance suits them because they go about their business, they say what they want in the press and don't worry about things, they're head down and they're all about performance. That's come from the top.

"I'm betting they will win all four games. You can't deny the form they're in and what they've achieved so far. They seem to be a team on an upward curve. The number of injuries they have are frustrating and they're missing key guys like Maro Itoje and George Kruis, but they're still in a good place. They still have good leaders on the field. They have great guys coming in."

The form player in England's ranks is Mako Vunipola, the rampaging Saracens prop who has been devastating with the ball in hand this season.

Corbisiero, who filled the position with distinction until injury took its toll, has anointed the 25-year-old as world class following his transformation into the complete front row.

"In my opinion Mako is the best loosehead in the world and I will defend that view against anyone. He's moving into a class of his own," Corbisiero said. "His set piece has become so consistent and it's ever-improving. He's becoming a dominant scrummager.

"Everything he does around the field is incredible - his work-rate, his defence, his turnovers, his carrying, offloads, passes out the back. He's never in the wrong position and is a great, intelligent rugby player who makes the right decisions who can make an impact while covering the basics that a prop needs to do."

Corbisiero was speaking in promotion of the N-Pro head guard, which has been newly developed with the aim of helping reduce the impact of concussion.

"It's a medically designed device that absorbs and disperses blows to the head. It won't prevent concussion but it will help lessen the impact of the blows," he said. "Concussion is never going to go away, it's about managing the risk. Why wouldn't you wear it if it helps? Anything that can reduce head trauma, even by a small amount, is beneficial."

N-Pro is the world's first rugby head guard with medical device classification and has been scientifically proven to provide impact protection. To find out more visit http://www.n-pro.com, or follow NProSports or facebook.com/NProSports

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