England head coach Eddie Jones has taken steps to ensure that the players who didn’t make his matchday 23 understand how much he appreciates them.
Players such as Joe Launchbury and Jack Nowell have had limited game-time, but Jones wanted to present each player a shirt even if they don’t get to wear it.
“They’ve got an important role supporting the team, and they’ve been exceptional,” Jones said.
Last run-out before the big kick-off.#RWCFinal #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/WZ2MpwaKtr
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 1, 2019
“They’re the heroes of the team, the way they train, and we had another high-quality training session on Wednesday.
“One of the things we’ve done to show how much we appreciate the work that they’ve done for the team is that on Friday, after the team has its get-together, we present each of those players with their own shirt for the game, numbers 24 to 31, just to show how much they’ve worked. So they get the same shirt as every other player.
“Unfortunately, they don’t get to wear it on the field. But it’s important for us, because they’ve been fantastic.”