5 Challenges Eddie Jones Must Overcome to Succeed with England Rugby

England rugby union coach Eddie Jones has had the start of his tenure disrupted by complications and delays with his work visa. But legal clearances are the least of his worries as he tries to turn England into a world power again.

To succeed with England, Jones must get off-field and on-field decisions right. They will make or break his reign.

Here are the top five challenges he will need to overcome.

A coach lives and dies on the back of his selection decisions. In England, the minutiae are endlessly debated.

Among the key questions are:

• Does Dylan Hartley return to the fold?
• What is the plan on the flank? Can England continue to play without a specialist openside?
• Who plays at No. 8: Billy Vunipola, Ben Morgan or Nathan Hughes when he becomes eligible in 2016?
• Who is the back-line general: George Ford or Owen Farrell?
• What is the plan for the centre pairing? With Manu Tuilagi soon back in contention, can he and Jonathan Joseph play together? Or will Jones opt for another footballer in midfield, likely to be Farrell or Henry Slade.

Jones is paid to make these difficult decisions and must get them right.

Jones’ toughest and most important challenge is to find the right player to lead England now and through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The Australian had harsh words for incumbent captain Chris Robshaw during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Writing in the Daily Mail ahead of England’s clash with Australia, Jones said:

To me, Robshaw is an outstanding club player, but at international level he just doesn't have that point of difference.

He carries okay, he tackles okay, but he's not outstandingly good in any area. I think that is his limiting factor. He's a good workmanlike player, but he does not have the specialist skills.

This stinging criticism, combined with England’s failure to get out of Pool A leaves Stuart Lancaster’s leader’s future in grave danger.

Robshaw has captained England more times than anyone other than Will Carling, but has he improved as a skipper during his four years at the helm? Robshaw is a fine role model and example, but Jones places less emphasis on soft skills than Lancaster did.

Jones’ problem is that there are very few candidates. Robshaw’s deputy Tom Wood would be an uninspiring choice, and who else is there? Joe Marler captains Harlequins and James Haskell leads Wasps, but Jones would do better to consider Haskell’s team-mate Joe Launchbury.

Launchbury will be 28 in 2019, in his prime, and he reminds Wasps coach Dai Young of Martin Johnson. The problem for Jones is that the lock is unproven as a captain.

According to Australia legend David Campese, Jones is a controller: Everything has to be done his way.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Campese said: "You're going to find very structured play and he's going to have the players that do what he tells them to do. It is a robotic style."

This generation of England players is not overburdened by egos, but Jones’ authoritarianism may not go down well with England’s young back line.

England were at their best in 2015 playing expansive, free rugby via the talents of George Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson.

How will this young Bath triumvirate feel about possibly being straight-jacketed?

Jones has a hard task here, too.

The Rugby World Cup 2015 was an unmitigated disaster, and England fans are at an all-time low.

They are also a traditional bunch, so the appointment of an Australian will not be uniformly accepted. Jones is a good coach but not someone who will command respect automatically.

He will need to make a strong start and get England fans excited again. Otherwise, the air of gloom around Twickenham will linger on.

The press make personality decisions early on that can shape supporter opinion.

Lancaster stayed in position for four years, during which England failed to claim a Six Nations title and did not significantly improve in part because he was likeable from the start.

An article by Mick Cleary in the Daily Telegraph from January 2012 can remind us how: "Lancaster’s new broom has already swept away much cynicism. He reports that an open training session in Leeds, which had to be restricted to 2,500 (fans) for health and safety concerns, could have attracted at least double."

A frosty relationship with the media, combined with a couple of poor performances will lead to widespread questioning of Jones’ suitability for the England role very quickly.

Right now, England do not need further negative press.