Eddie Jones has come out swinging after England's fifth straight Test defeat in a row against South Africa, claiming he was "absolutely loving" the criticism despite admitting he had "knives in [his] back".

Jones held one-to-one interviews with his entire squad on Monday morning at their Indian Ocean base in Umhlanga, 48 hours after the 23-12 defeat in Bloemfontein which condemned his side to series defeat.

Afterwards, he insisted that these "bloody tough periods" were what defined a champion team and said that he felt "more positive" about England’s prospects for the Rugby World Cup in 2019 than he had been previously.

Even though three players had flown home over the weekend - Billy Vunipola (fractured arm), Mako Vunipola (paternity leave) and Ellis Genge (knee) - Jones was able to report that he had "never seen such an upbeat group", and was further buoyed by receiving a text that morning from Dylan Hartley informing him that he was back in full training after missing the tour due to on-going issues with concussion.

It was a bravura performance from Jones, a typically combative and candid appraisal of the firestorm that has risen up around him. It could yet raze his regime to the ground, if England's losing streak is extended in Cape Town on Saturday, and then in the November series when South Africa, New Zealand and Australia come visiting. Japan, too, are on the schedule. Surely not a loss against them? People in South Africa were saying the same thing at the start of the 2015 Rugby World Cup when a certain Eddie Jones was in the Japan corner.