Eddie Jones continued his pursuit of tapping into the best coaching experience across the globe after inviting the Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, to England’s Surrey training base this week to observe their preparations for Sunday’s Six Nations clash with Italy.

Jones has already invited England manager Gareth Southgate to Pennyhill Park this month, and the manager of the current Premier League leaders joined the Australian and his coaching staff on Wednesday to see how his unbeaten side prepare for match day.

With Chelsea eight points clear of their nearest competitor and England currently on a 16-match winning streak, Conte and Jones were able to trade secrets on how to motivate a team that has suffered disappointments, such as Chelsea’s dire Premier League title defence in 2015/16 or England’s early exit at their own Rugby World Cup 16 months ago.

“For me it was very interesting to compare the different situations at work, the physical aspect and also to talk with the coach about the different situation there and analyse his aspect. It was very interesting,” Conte said.

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The Chelsea boss attended training along with assistant manager Steve Holland, who observed that they could learn plenty from the England rugby side as well as the other way around.

“Antonio is very open to other ideas and not just in our own sport, but in other sports as well and obviously the England rugby team are having a particularly successful spell and it’s always good to come and see why that might be,” Holland said. “I think it’s a vital part of a developing as a coach to speak with others and to take the best bits.”

The visit was particularly pleasing for Chelsea fan George Ford, with the fly-half developing his love of the Blues while watching Frank Lampard during his early teenage years.

Wales vs England player ratings Show all 31 1 /31 Wales vs England player ratings Wales vs England player ratings 15. Leigh Halfpenny - 7 Missed one chance, but such was his kicking that it built the Welsh lead early on. Incredibly reliable under the high ball Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 14. Alex Cuthbert - 6 If ever there was a sensible yellow card, Cuthbert earned it. His tackle stopped Haskell when everyone the red side of the Severn thought a try was on. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 13. Jonathan Davies - 5 Very quiet and struggled to see any ball in hand. Went large phases without having any impact. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 12. Jamie Roberts - 7 Had two charging runs that England did well to stop, and his defence was very solid when under pressure. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 11. George North - 6 Forced off for a concussion test and starved of the ball, he never seemed to recover from the blow to the head. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 10. Dan Biggar - 6 Drop-goal on half-time appeared to the game away from England, but faded in the second half and wale suffered as a result. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 9. Rhys Webb - 7 On hand to finish Wales’ opening try and sniped around the edge, but England did well to keep him shackled. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 1. Gethin Jenkins - 5 Brought off for Paul James having struggled in the scrum and was very much second best to Dan Cole. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 2. Richard Hibbard - 5 His ball at the lineout was below-par and it wasn’t his finest day at the office. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 3. Samson Lee - 6 Recovered well after early pressure in the scrum, but picked up an injury in the second half to end his day early. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 4. Jake Ball - 6 Struggled to cope with his opposite number and didn’t have the influence on the game that he’s come to enjoy in recent outings. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 5. Alun Wyn Jones - 6 Looked to be under pressure in both the lineout and the scrum, and his form deserted him in the second period when Wales needed him most. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 6. Dan Lydiate - 6 Gave away a crucial penalty in the second half as England built momentum, but his tackling was as reliable as ever. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 7. Sam Warburton - 6 Faded in the second half and was earmarked by England’s defence whenever he got the ball in hand. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 8. Taulupe Faletau - 7 Beautiful offload after beating Haskell set-up Webb’s try, but gave away the penalty that allowed Ford to secure the victory. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 15. Mike Brown - 7 Deft chip set-up Watson’s try, and was a constant threat whenever he got the ball. Kick to the 5m allowed England to camp on the Welsh line late on. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 14. Anthony Watson - 7 Out-gassed Halfpenny to score and drag England back into the game, a strong showing in the air too. No as prevalent in the second half though. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 13. Jonathan Joseph - 8 Moment of inspiration after the restart saw him beat three defenders to score, and can be proud of his Millennium debut. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 12. Luther Burrell - 8 Didn’t give Roberts and Davies a moments rest and showed his rugby brain with intelligent runs, and was one of the standout performers. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 11. Jonny May - 6 Stepped inside to give Webb room to score, and did little with the ball when the opportunity arose. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 10. George Ford - 8 Charged down twice in the first-half but passing was strong, missed an early second-half penalty to put England ahead, but more than made up for it with his match-winning penalties. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 9. Ben Youngs - 8 Led the England revival and his passing was nothing short of exemplary. Surprising to see him replaced midway through the second half. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 1. Joe Marler - 6 Carried well which is often a criticism of his game. Departed for Mako Vunipola after 54 minutes despite dominance in the scrum. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 2. Dylan Hartley - 5 Unusually wayward with his lineout ball and taken off after 54 minutes for Tom Youngs as a result. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 3. Dan Cole - 7 his lack of game time, Cole’s performance was outstanding, and a turnover on his own 22 when under pressure defined his strong showing. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 4. Dave Attwood - 7 Marshalled the defence very well and helped his rapidly growing reputation. One error came when he picked the ball up in a ruck. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 5. George Kruis - 8 His first England start? You wouldn’t know it, as he commanded the lineout superbly and really stood out in the battle of the packs. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 6. James Haskell - 6 At fault for the opening try with his missed tackle on Faletau, and managed to spurn the chance to score a try when it looked nailed on. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 7. Chris Robshaw - 7 Struggled in the lineout early but recovered well. As usual, led by example in defence, and importantly got Jerome Garces on his side early on. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings 8. Billy Vunipola - 7 Targeted by the Welsh defence but coped very well and never took a backwards step. As players tired his pinch tackle flourished. Getty Images Wales vs England player ratings Best off the bench: Tom Youngs - 7 Did what Hartley couldn’t in the lineout and could be in contention to start next week. GETTY IMAGES

“I used to live in London, I can’t remember how old I was now,” Ford said. “Year eight! I was in Year eight so however old that is, that’s when I started to get into football, but to be honest it was more of being a fan of Frank Lampard. I love watching him play and obviously he was at Chelsea and just ended up supporting them from then on really.