Cheika backs threatened rival Jones
MICHAEL Cheika declared it is “crazy” that rival coach Eddie Jones is under pressure as the pair prepare to lock horns at Twickenham.
Like Cheika, who kept the wolves at bay after Australia beat Italy 26-7 last weekend, Jones has been under enorSTEVE mous pressure to keep his job as England coach after a disastrous Six Nations campaign.
The British press reported Jones faced the sack if he did not win three of the four Tests in the autumn series; England beat South Africa, lost by a point to the All Blacks, then beat Japan with a secondstring team.
While the two former Randwick teammates have been keen verbal sparring partners over the past three years, Cheika only offered support for Jones.
“Crazy, to me, seeing a guy like that, when you say pressure, that’s crazy,” Cheika said.
“They’ve won 20 or 30 games with him. The guy has taken them to another level since the 2015 World Cup.
Cheika has never beaten Jones at Test level, with a 0-5 record against England since Jones took over in 2016.
Jones started his tenure at England with a record-equalling 18 successive Test wins, but in 2018 England suffered their worst Six Nations campaign in history with three straight losses and also lost the June series to South Africa 2-1.
Cheika has presided over an equally alarming Wallabies slide this year.
Their scratchy win over Italy in Padua won’t convince critics they are on the verge of a turnaround, but it was a much-needed morale booster.