Koroibete vs May and a ‘Maserati’ at Twickenham
Australia’s wingers will find themselves up against one of England’s quickest back threes in history at Twickenham tomorrow morning (Fijian time). Marika Koroibete and Reece Hodge will face off against ex-sprinter Jonny May, a man coach Eddie Jones believes will be the quickest out there, describing new fullback Anthony Watson as a ‘Maserati’, for his own X-Factor.
Jones has spruiked May’s speed this week, with the England winger returning from injury for the Wallabies game, and again on Thursday said he’d be the speediest on the park.
“He’s a good player, he played well for us in Argentina, particularly the second Test, he suffered quite a serious ankle injury and played for 65 minutes and played superbly,” he said.
“He’s strong, he’s fast, he’ll be the fastest winger on the field and any opportunities he gets, he’ll turn into points for us.”
“Watson’s like a Maserati, mate, he flies,” he said.
“He’s a flyer. He’s an absolute flyer.”
Wallabies rookie Koroibete has taken major strides since making his Test debut against Argentina, and though he had few opportunities against Wales, with the ball in his hand the Rebels speedster is dangerous. Australia has lacked genuine pace in its outside backs in recent years but Koroibete’s fellow wing Reece Hodge reckons the 25-year-old certainly give May a run for his money on the field.
“I’d probably put in a little vote for Marika there but we’ll see what happens on the weekend,” Hodge said.
“He’s been pretty sharp for the whole season now.
“He’s improving every week and he’s an exciting player to play with and you just know when he gets the ball he’s going to make something happen or finish off in the corner.” Hodge said both Elliot Daly and May would be a big threat, and it was up to Australia to ensure they didn’t have the chance to turn touches into points.
“Elliot burst onto the scene last year as an exciting player and someone we’re going to have keep under tabs if we’re going to keep their attack under control,” he said.
“Hopefully, the ball won’t get out there too much, hopefully we can control the game and our defence can limit their opportunities.”