ENGLAND head coach Eddie Jones pledged to help build a “sustainably successful team” after extending his Red Rose contract yesterday until 2021.

Jones was due to step down after the World Cup, but, having overseen a remarkable run of 22 wins from 23 Tests, his bosses have decided to lengthen his reign while inserting into the terms of the deal a performance break clause after Japan 2019.

The Rugby Football Union sees the contract extension as part of the succession planning for Jones’s departure and hopes to have appointed his replacement by the end of the 2019-20 season. The two will then work together until Jones’s exit.

“I’m delighted to extend, it’s quite exciting,” Jones said. “The team’s got a great potential and what I’d also like to be involved in is creating a sustainably successful team and play a role in doing that.”