Joe Simpson tells Eddie Jones to up the tempo

Joe Simpson has called on new England boss Eddie Jones to employ high-octane, attacking rugby.

Scrum-half Simpson orchestrated the rapid tempo as Wasps blitzed reigning three-time European champions Toulon 32-6 in Coventry on Sunday.

The 27-year-old missed the cut for England’s dismal World Cup campaign that cost Stuart Lancaster his head coaching job, with Jones filling the void last week.

Now Simpson has freely admitted England adopting extra ambition, width and pace would boost his chances of a recall from the Test wilderness.

“I believe there’s been a shift in the brand of rugby all teams are going to have to start to play now,” said Simpson, who boasts just one cap despite consistent form across the seasons with Wasps. “New Zealand have always thrown the ball around and really played with flair, but they’ve always had the players to do that.

“When you’ve got players that aren’t quite up to it, you have to adapt your style. With England, with the players they’ve got, they most certainly have the talent to throw the ball around.

“With people like Elliot [Daly] and Wadey [Christian Wade] not even making the final squads, they’re two of the most flair players in the league. Eddie has those players at his disposal and, hopefully for me, because it would suit my game, the brand of rugby that will be played will be a speedy game. That’s the brand of rugby I want to play, I enjoy playing and I’m best at, really upping the tempo... and making it uncomfortable for opposition defences.”

Wasps sit top of Pool Five in the European Champions Cup after two rounds, with the English clubs completing a clean-sweep weekend for the first time since 2008. Wasps’ resurgence continues apace after last season’s move to the Ricoh Arena that allowed owner Derek Richardson to boost the club’s financial clout considerably.

Centre Daly and wing Wade also narrowly missed England’s World Cup cut, and Simpson feels the two flyers can also boost Jones’ resources.

Jones starts work officially on December 1, when he will address the futures of assistant coaches Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Mike Catt.