FARDY: JONES IS MASTER AT DEFENDING PLAYERS
LEINSTER lock Scott Fardy believes that his fellow Australian Eddie Jones is a master in how he manipulates the media in order to take the pressure off his players, WRITES CIAN TRACEY.
After footage emerged of the England head coach referring to Ireland as the “scummy Irish”, Jones was forced to publicly apologise three days out from his side’s clash against Ireland.
Speaking during The Left Wing’s show at Kennedy’s pub on Westland Row, Fardy said: “I’m not going to stick up for him, there’s a fair bit of Aussie in it. I guess I banter a bit in Leinster as well. We like to give each other a fair bit of c**p. But I don’t obviously call out a whole nation!
“Eddie does a fantastic job of taking the pressure off his players. That’s why he’s in the media a lot.
“Even after the loss, no one talked about the loss to Scotland. They talked about him getting bullied in the car on the way home at the train station. He’s a very good operator in how he operates in the media. He does take the pressure off his players.”
Meanwhile, Robbie Henshaw defended his side’s style of play after Matt Williams claimed that they were “boring” on television last weekend.
The Ireland centre, who is on track with his recovery from a dislocated shoulder, admitted his side had to be better defensively against England, but he brushed off the notion that they were ‘boring’.
“I think we’ve been really clinical in this Six Nations,” Henshaw said. “We’ve put an unbelievable squeeze on opposition teams when we get into their 22.”