ENGLAND head coach Eddie Jones admitted disciplinary issues were inevitable at the World Cup after taking the shock decision to overlook Ben Te’o for selection.

The former Worcester Warriors centre was a surprise omission from the 31-man squad destined for Japan 2019 after losing out to the heralded Piers Francis, who has been limited to five caps.

Until he was involved in an alleged scuffle with Mike Brown during a social event at England’s warm-weather camp in Treviso a fortnight ago, Te’o was considered a certainty to travel due to his status as an ever-present under Jones.

Jones refused to explain the 32-year-old’s fall from grace beyond stating he simply was not good enough to make the squad.

But the incident with Brown at a team bonding event has raised the topic of discipline.

The last overseas World Cup in 2011 was marred by repeated behavioural issues off the field - something the England boss insists are part and parcel of touring.

“I’ve coached for 25 years, I’ve never been confident in a team being smooth,” Jones said.

“We’re like any family - everyone sits around the dining table, everyone enjoys good conversation, but you know there are problems and we’re exactly the same.

“We’ve got 31 sitting around the table, we can have nice conversations. But you know potentially there’s a problem.

“All I can do is trust the players - they are adults, they’re responsible, they want to play for England and we could have some problems. If we do, we’ll deal with them.

“Every team has problems... Don’t believe the book Legacy (about the All Blacks), which everyone seems to base their opinion on teams on.

“No team’s like that - every team has its problems. I’m sure we’ll have our problems and we’ll deal with it.”

On Te’o’s omission, Jones added: “I’m not going to go into reasons why Ben Te’o hasn’t been selected. We’ve had that conversation with Ben. He understands it.

“Whether he agrees with it is another matter. But we’ve had that discussion and he’s not in our top 31 players at the moment.”

Saracens-bound hooker Jack Singleton who also left Warriors this summer has been selected.