England
Eddie Jones confirms George Smith will school England 7s
January 20, 2016
© Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

England coach Eddie Jones has called on the services of former Wallabies flanker George Smith to work with his forwards on an informal basis ahead of his first match in charge against Scotland in next month's Six Nations opener.

Smith, who made 111 appearances for Australia, is widely regarded as one of the greatest openside flankers of the modern game and is currently playing for English side Wasps.

Jones said he was keen to call on Smith's help in a bid to try and improve England's work around the breakdown, an area that was a weakness during a disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign.

"We sat down and had a coffee last week," Jones told Sky Sports News on Wednesday.

"He's going to pop down next week and do a bit of breakdown work with the back-rows.

"It's a very informal relationship, more about the friendship I have with George, but he's obviously a world-class player and our players can only benefit from his tuition."

Jones will be without prolific winger Chris Ashton who has been banned for 10 weeks after being found guilty of eye gouging.

The 28-year-old denied the offence, which related to an incident with Ulster centre Luke Marshall during the team's European Champions Cup game last weekend, and is set to appeal.

© AAP

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