Coach will stick with Smith and Farrell axis

Eddie Jones is prepared to stick with the dual playmaker axis of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell for the second Test against Australia amid calls for the England head coach to overhaul his 10-12 partnership.

Smith and Farrell lined up together for only the second time in the defeat by the 14-man Wallabies on Saturday and their failure to ignite England’s attack has prompted calls from the World Cup winners Clive Woodward, Will Greenwood and Lawrence Dallaglio for major changes. Jones, however, intends to keep the combination in place for the second Test on Saturday in Brisbane, where Australia have won their past 10 games. Asked if he will persevere with the duo, he said: “Certainly for the next Test.”

Jones is also set to escape punishment for claiming the referee James Doleman helped Australia after Darcy Swain’s 34th-minute red card by attempting to “even things up”. In a further boost for England, Jonny Hill has not been cited for pulling Swain’s hair nor for pushing the Australia lock, who faces a disciplinary hearing tomorrow, in the face shortly before the red-card incident.

Some personnel changes are likely, though, with Tom Curry a doubt after sustaining a head injury on Saturday. “We’ll have to wait and see,” Jones said. “Curry might not be available.

It is unclear whether the openside flanker will have to sit out for 12 days in line with World Rugby’s recent changes. When those changes were announced, however, the governing body stated the “vast majority of players diagnosed with concussion [are] likely to miss their next match owing to new criteria”.