“It’s getting confusing for Jones – the RFU have a decision to make”

After England’s defeat by South Africa, the Rugby Football Union needs to take a long, hard look at their squad and coaching set-up and ask themselves a simple question: are we going to win the World Cup World Rugby next year?

After this year, with just five wins in 12 Tests, no one can honestly say they are close to doing so.

The tournament starts in 10 months. So something fundamental has to change if they are to get closer to that goal.

Armageddon’s decision is to let Eddie Jones go and allow someone to come in as head coach and make changes now, with the Six Nations ahead.

Or, if those in charge don’t change Jones, they tell Jones to change. And change something substantial and fast.

What worried me about England’s performance was the lack of consequences and accountability for individual actions.

This was a great game. The world champions were in town and England had a game to add some sparkle to a rather patchy autumn campaign.

But for all the talk about being adaptable and clever, England couldn’t turn the game around when South Africa got the lead after the first 20 minutes.

There was no one to take the initiative to grab the game by the scruff of the neck or go off script to find a solution.

You look at your leaders – Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry – and I didn’t see them providing that for their team. I thought this match would cheer them up and sharpen their minds. But they didn’t fire a shot.

When Jonny Hill retaliated against Faf De Klerk in his own 22, causing a penalty to be called back at a crucial moment in the second half, where were the voices to tell him that indiscipline cannot happen? Where is the peer pressure to be better? It’s a small thing, but it’s important.

They are a team of very talented players and good people. They are very close, there are some deep friendships. This is fantastic. But they are together to win the World Cup. They all know it, they all want it, and right now, they’re not getting it.

There have to be some hard conversations to be had about why they are playing the way they are.

In an ideal world, you’d want Jones to see out the end of his contract at the end of the World Cup in France.

He has done great things for English rugby over the past seven years. But unfortunately, it’s starting to fall apart.

Other teams seem to have caught on to what England do, and what they do isn’t good enough.

The tendency is always to give someone under pressure more time because you want them to succeed. On a personal level, this is natural. But the vast majority of times, it doesn’t work. And the vast majority of the time, you wish you had changed leaders sooner than you did.

Unfortunately, that may be the case for Jones.

For the RFU to make that call is another matter. Contracts, continuity, lack of appetite for this big decision may make it not so.

But I think whoever you’ve brought in, whether it’s Steve Borthwick from Leicester, Alex Sanderson from Sale, Ronan O’Gara from La Rochelle, Scott Robertson from Crusaders, would spark an immediate improvement.

I think you would see some brilliance from England.

South Africa were disciplined and powerful on Saturday. They also had a bit of an X factor with the pace and skill of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Willie Le Roux. It was like the 2019 World Cup winning team, with an added dimension.

But I think England could do the same. They can play at this level and play in the Rugby World Cup next year.

But they need new direction and new momentum. The question for the RFU is whether Jones can now provide that.

Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport’s Mike Henson.