England cannot "blind" themselves to their weaknesses despite winning their first two Six Nations games, says defence coach Felix Jones.

England, who have conceded more tries than they have scored in narrow victories over Italy and Wales, face Scotland at Murrayfield on 24 February.

"I wouldn't say I'm overly happy," Jones told BBC Sport.

"I don't think anyone is when you're conceding points, so it's a work in progress. There are loads of things still to work on, but also some good bits that we want to retain.

"We are at a level where you can't blind yourself to things that need attention, but you want to draw positives from a tournament where winning counts."

Italy exploited England's defence in the first half in Rome and carved them open twice to score tries through Alessandro Garbisi and Tommaso Allan.

England recovered to avoid a first defeat by Italy before showing signs of greater defensive cohesion in the victory against Wales at Twickenham.

Asked why he prefers his sides to use a blitz defence, which involves players rushing up to limit the space in which the opposition can attack, Jones said: "There are number of teams that are trying to implement higher line speed.

"Attacks are becoming so sophisticated that if you aren't trying to exert pressure, the best teams in the world will hurt you. But there is always a balance and you can go too far sometimes.

"It's never one thing or one player's fault and usually it's a chain reaction earlier down the line. It could be a loss of momentum or [poor] decision-making and often the guys on the outside channels are left to pick up the pieces.

"You treat each situation in itself and try and figure out the solutions, but you also have to approach it that for every one that goes wrong there could be one or two that go right.

"Like any defensive system, there are guidelines you want in place, but ultimately it's down to the individuals within that in how well they tackle and make decisions. You have to push yourself to where the margins are so small and you're right on the limit of execution."

'Our ambition is to win the Six Nations'

Former full-back Jones won 13 caps for Ireland as well as representing Leinster and Munster before being forced to retire at the age of 28 because of a neck injury.

The Dubliner, 36, went straight into coaching after hanging up his boots and worked under current South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus at Munster before following him into the Springboks set-up.

England were clear in their intent to recruit his meticulous skills, which helped South Africa claim back-to-back World Cup titles either side of a series win over the British and Irish Lions.

Jones says he is adapting well to life back in the northern hemisphere and working under England head coach Steve Borthwick.

"It has been great so far," said Jones.

"The approach has been very collaborative among all the coaches. Everyone is working as hard as they can and we're trying to find any improvement we can from a game or in training.

"The players have been awesome in terms of buying in and sharing their knowledge with what works at their clubs. There is not a session that goes by where the players are not asking questions.

"There are always differences when you cross over teams and particularly countries and cultures. There will always be changes, so it's tough to compare.

"Our ambition is to win each game with the end goal of trying to win the Six Nations this year. But there is still a long way to go.

"Ireland and France are two of the best teams in the world consistently and Scotland too have shown they can compete at the highest level."

It's said that goaltending is unpredictable. It's the great equalizer, and the thing that can undermine a championship effort. One year's rising star in the crease is the next season's sieve.

The top 10 goaltenders on our 2024 ESPN NHL Positional Rankings are, for the most part, the names you'd expect. It's just that some have clearly played their way up the rankings, while others are hanging on to spots based more on their reputation than their recent accomplishments.

"It's a great list," one NHL goaltending analyst said. "I mean, I'd shuffle a few of the rankings, but it's everybody that you'd want on there. With one exception."

Don't worry, we'll get there.

Welcome to the next set of results from the 2024 NHL Positional Rankings, a unique way to determine the best of the best. Some surveys ask players for their rankings. Others poll executives. The NHL Positional Rankings combine both opinions into one definitive ranking that blends on-ice savvy with boardroom thinking.

Here's how it worked: Surveys were conducted over the past month. Respondents were asked to rank their current top 10 players at center, winger, defenseman and goaltender based on a predetermined list of the top 30-40 players at each position. Players ranked on each ballot were given a numerical score -- No. 1 earned 10 points, No. 2 got 9 points and so on.

Ten NHL players were surveyed -- four from the Eastern Conference, six from the Western Conference. They range from NHL award nominees to veteran role players. To balance that perspective, we surveyed 10 people from the hockey operations departments of NHL teams -- six from the East, four from the West -- including two coaches and three general managers.

Combined, their insights led to rankings that go behind fan conjecture and media narratives to reveal the best of the best according to those inside the NHL.

Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey.

Chelsea have identified Lyon's Sonia Bompastor as the preferred candidate to replace the outgoing Emma Hayes, sources have told ESPN.

Bompastor is under contract with the French champions until 2025 so Chelsea would have to pay a sizeable compensation fee to release her from her contract if terms are agreed.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

But she is top of Chelsea's wanted list as they look to life after Hayes, who will leave her post in charge of the club at the end of the season to take up the U.S. Women's National Team head coach position.

Hayes leaves big shoes to fill at Chelsea. She has transformed the side, steering them to six Women Super League titles since she took charge in 2012, alongside winning five FA Cups.

Bompastor won 156 caps for France and the the 2011 and 2012 Champions League titles as a player at Lyon. She joined the team's backroom staff in 2013 and took charge of the first team in 2021 after Jean-Luc Vasseur's departure.

In the 2021-22 campaign, she led Lyon to the league title and Champions League and then backed that up by steering Lyon to their second league in as many seasons last term.

But securing Bompastor's services won't be straightforward for Chelsea. She is still under contract for another 16 months, while Lyon were taken over earlier this month by American businesswoman Michele Kang who has already pledged to help Lyon become dominant in Europe again.

Dan Ashworth will be given the responsibility of rebuilding Manchester United's scouting department when he becomes the club's director of football, with Brighton's head of recruitment, Sam Jewell, identified as the leading candidate to head up the new structure, sources have told ESPN.

United are in talks with Newcastle United in an effort to release Ashworth from his contract as sporting director at St James' Park and sources have said that a swift resolution could see the 52-year-old granted permission to move to Old Trafford in the coming days, subject to a period of gardening leave being served before beginning a new role in Manchester.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group, who will take charge of football operations at United once their 25% investment is finally confirmed by the NYSE next week, want Ashworth to transform the recruitment system at Old Trafford after undertaking an audit of the club's recent transfer dealings.

Only Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have spent more than United on new players since 2018, but United have won just one trophy -- the 2023 Carabao Cup -- in that period.

Ashworth is credited with making Brighton one of the most successful clubs in the transfer market following his four-year period at the club between 2018-2022 and he was also a central figure in implementing changes at the English Football Association that preceded the nation's significant improvement in results in recent years.

While Ashworth's appointment is a significant move by United, the club are also determined to strengthen all levels of the recruitment team and Jewell's success at Brighton has led to him being favoured by Ashworth as a potential appointment at Old Trafford.

Jewell, the son of former Wigan and Bradford manager Paul Jewell, was hired by Ashworth at Brighton in 2016 and his since been elevated to the head of recruitment role after starting out as the club's head of U21 recruitment.

Jewell was a key figure in Brighton's moves for Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo and Julio Enciso, identifying emerging talent in South America and signing them for low fees before, in the case of Mac Allister and Caicedo, offloading for significant profit.

Sources have told ESPN that United have yet to make a formal move for Jewell, but he is highly rated by Ashworth and his success at Brighton has been noted by the INEOS team at the club.

Newcastle, according to a source, are aware of Ashworth's desire to move to United but believe his contract situation leaves them well protected.

Once they receive an official approach, they will demand compensation before sanctioning a move.

Newcastle would also expect Ashworth to spend a significant period on gardening leave -- possibly up to 12 months -- unless United make an additional payment to reduce it.

Sources have told ESPN that United are keen for Ashworth to start as soon as possible in order to have influence over the summer transfer window.

Newcastle, according to a source, believe they could be in line for a payment of anything up to 10m.

Information from ESPN's Rob Dawson contributed to this report.

The 29th season of MLS kicks off in little more than a week with a Feb. 21 meeting between Real Salt Lake and Inter Miami CF. As a new soccer season dawns, the 29 teams open the new year with a clean slate, but coaches across MLS are already facing various weights of expectation, and for some, preexisting frustration.

It's still rather early -- especially for any among the nine individuals newly installed as gaffer since the 2023 season ended in November -- but before the new campaign gets underway, it's worth taking a look at the managers sure to face some immediate pressure.

Gary Smith | Nashville SC

The only manager Nashville SC has ever had since joining the league in 2020, Smith has done a commendable job in some regards. After all, it was only the slim margin of a penalty shootout with Inter Miami that kept the boys in gold from the inaugural 2023 Concacaf Leagues Cup trophy.

Notably, Smith has also guided Nashville into the playoffs for four straight seasons. While the team's playoff consistency has been laudable, it has yet to make a deeper run than the quarterfinals and ended 2023 with a first-round exit after losing two straight matches to Orlando City SC.

With that lackluster finish fresh in the memory, the feeling that Nashville isn't delivering on its potential has the chance to overshadow this new season. Things took a dip midway through 2023, and Nashville will need to be quick to counter in the new year. Relying on nothing beyond the individual brilliance of former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar as an attacking strategy won't get them far, and Smith will need to better strategize those goal-scoring opportunities while also setting up his squad to create them.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Thanks to Nashville's second-place finish in the 2023 Leagues Cup, Smith will guide his team into the new year straddling competitions as one of 10 MLS teams participating in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Fortunately for the manager, his first few regular-season tests could be surmountable, beginning the campaign against teams that either missed the playoffs in 2023 or eked into them and lost early.

The back-and-forth between Champions Cup and MLS could wear Nashville down, and it faces a rough run of games from the end of March into early April: LAFC, Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, then Inter Miami. Failing to get momentum by then could see Smith sitting below the playoff spots and under pressure in the early season.

Greg Vanney | LA Galaxy

It's difficult to think of a more decorated team with a more disgruntled fan base than the Galaxy. The two go hand in hand, of course, as the Galaxy's loyal supporters crave the success from their heyday, when the team collected five titles from nine MLS Cup appearances -- the most in Major League Soccer for either statistic.

Their most recent MLS Cup appearance (and trophy) was in 2014, a full decade ago. After struggling with mediocre results for seasons now, they ended 2023 by failing to qualify for an expanded playoff that ushered a full 18 teams into the postseason.

In the immediate aftermath of confirming their playoff absence by losing 5-2 to Minnesota United in October, Vanney told the media: "This season felt like five seasons' worth of challenges inside of one season, and we couldn't manage all of it and get ourselves to the playoffs and the final stages." It's true that 2023 saw everything from injuries to sanctions to supporter boycotts roll his way, but time has run out for Vanney to coast on complacency should poor luck and bad results throw him off-kilter.

An MLS original, Vanney appeared for the Galaxy in their first six years of existence, guiding them to glory as among the league's best defenders. He returned briefly as a player in 2008, and again as a manager in 2021, but nostalgia won't salvage what has to be the turnaround year for LA's injured giants.

With a few new signings (Gabriel Pec, Miguel Berry) to boost their efforts in the attacking third this offseason, Vanney's early tests offer a spread in caliber that he'll need to take advantage of. David Beckham's star-studded Miami squad awaits them first. A mix of achievable results follow, with tough tests against intracity rivals LAFC and Western Conference giants Seattle Sounders FC by the end of March and early April.

Josh Wolff | Austin FC

Austin FC has enjoyed a state-of-the-art facility, incredible fan support and wide-ranging results in its first three seasons in MLS

After finishing their inaugural year near the bottom of the league and failing to qualify for the playoffs, the Verde famously thumbed their noses at preseason predictions in 2022 by finishing second in the West behind just LAFC and making a compelling playoff run to the Western Conference final. The underlying numbers brought Wolff's side back to reality in their third season, though, as they finished 12th in the 14-team Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs.

With 2023's results more accurately reflecting things like their expected goals, it seemed Wolff's side would need changes to recalibrate, but the offseason has not seen the major roster movements of a team restocking for a rebound. That said, Austin's newly installed sporting director Rodolfo Borrell told ESPN that he has faith in Wolff, who he describes as a young manager with more potential, with an outlook that aligns with what he hopes to build in Austin.

"Very passionate, very dedicated, very much identified with what we're trying to do at the club," Borrell said of his coach.

That may be true, and could lend longevity to Wolff's tenure as the Verde seek better results with a familiar roster in the new season, but it's hard to imagine that outlook remains for too long if results prove dismal and pressure from supporters climbs higher.

Austin will open its season against Minnesota on Feb. 24, then face a tough run of opponents in its next four matches as it meets some of last season's top contenders in Seattle, St. Louis City SC, Philadelphia and Orlando. Things calm down after that, though, and without international competition on deck, Wolff will have time (and Borrell's early support) to focus on results and improvement.

Tata Martino | Inter Miami

It may be surprising to see Martino make this list given he's only been in the role since Phil Neville's firing last June, in addition to the slew of stars in his South Florida squad that you may have heard about. With the headline-grabbing Herons running controversial international tours with the game's G.O.A.T., though, the world's eyes will be on David Beckham's MLS project when the season sets off. The corresponding pressure to get results will surely follow.

Now entering its fifth season in Major League Soccer, Miami failed to make last season's playoffs after finishing second to last in the Eastern Conference. That said, the Herons did win the inaugural 2023 Leagues Cup trophy on the back of Lionel Messi's heroics.

That accomplishment adds some brass to the Martino era, but it also brings with it a complication. His esteemed-but-aging side of stars (Messi has since been joined by Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, among others) will participate in the Concacaf Champions Cup, too.

An already injury-worn and travel-weary squad will face a hectic early-season schedule, as they traverse surmountable opponents in MLS but must contend with continental competition in between. Should they falter in the early days, potentially injuring a star player or sitting them to prevent that, Miami could see a good bit of pressure from fans and media and 2024 gets going.