Eddie Jones is confident rugby will emerge from a dull period dominated by defence after conceding it is currently a sport that excites only purists.

Jones is preparing his England team for Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup final against France at Twickenham after presiding over business-like wins against Georgia, Ireland and Wales that produced few thrills.

Disillusionment has grown over the lack of ambition that has swept through the game since a successful 2019 World Cup, with defence, set-piece and kicking dominating matches at the expense of entertainment.

“In a championship, the final week is always the greatest learning week. You learn a lot about yourselves, about your team-mates, about how you operate as a team.

“We’ve had one unsuccessful final in the last 13 months, so we’ve learned from that and we’d like to put our learnings into practise this week.

“I’d like to congratulate the organisers of the tournament. They’ve done a fantastic job to put it on in such difficult circumstances.

“It’s quite a feat and it’s been good, competitive rugby. We’re pleased to be in the final but there’s one game to go.”