Saturday 14 September 2019 19:54, UK
Eddie Jones says England scrum-half Ben Youngs can be their surprise package at the Rugby World Cup.
Youngs, one of only two scrum-halves in Jones' 31-man squad, was part of the England World Cup side in 2015 who became the first host nation to fail to qualify from their pool.
The 30-year-old is the joint-most capped player in the England squad on 89 caps, level with Leicester team-mate Dan Cole, but Jones is backing him to hit new heights in Japan.
"I've never seen him in better physical condition," the England head coach told Sky Sports News.
"He was disappointed by 2015 and knows this is probably his last chance to do well at a World Cup.
"His preparation has been absolutely outstanding so expect him to have a really good tournament."
Jones believes England have an edge over their World Cup rivals because of the steps taken to ensure they are ready to play in the sweltering heat and humidity of Japan.
Two training camps in Treviso, north east Italy, in July and August followed by eight nights in Miyazaki have subjected the squad to the boiling conditions which they will encounter over the coming weeks.
Temperatures regularly top 30 degrees while the humidity level climbs above 60 per cent every day, but rather than be intimidated by the oppressive climate Jones sees it as a feature of the first Asian World Cup that can be exploited.
"We're looking forward to playing in the humidity," said Jones.
"We've prepared for it and it's obviously a big part of rugby in Japan in September and October. We feel like playing in the humidity will give us an advantage."
As coach of Japan four years ago, Jones took the Brave Blossoms to the same location for an extended training camp that helped produce the nation's finest performance at a World Cup.
Although they narrowly failed to reach the quarter-finals, they stunned South Africa to stage the greatest upset in rugby history in a victory that had its origins in Miyazaki.
"It's a great place to train - great facilities, the weather's fantastic, the food's good and the people are friendly," said Jones. "It's nice to come back here.
"The players have a number of opportunities to do different things. They can play golf, they've been down the beach. It's a place where you can prepare to win and that's why we came here."
England landed in Tokyo on Monday and although their exit from Narita Airport was delayed by five hours due to the fallout from Typhoon Faxai, they have not encountered any further issues.
"The first part of the World Cup is always dependent on your travel," said Jones. "We had a vigorous travel schedule, but we've settled in well now and have got used to the conditions.
"Players have been out and about a bit. We've deliberately had quite an easy training week but we'll increase that starting today [Saturday].
"The players have adjusted really well. We're very positive and there's a good feeling in the camp. Everyone is ready to start work now.
"We've actually had to pull players back because they wanted to work harder. We've had a variety of activities on and off the field.
"The players feel like they've adapted to the environment as well as they can and now they're ready to begin the serious preparation for the World Cup."
Jones confirmed that Mako Vunipola (hamstring) and Jack Nowell (ankle) will not be available until the key Pool C games against Argentina and France next month.
