Welcome to the furnace, Mr Jones
OPINION: The art of deflection comes in many forms. Eddie Jones’ version revolves around constant comparisons to the All Blacks.
Jones made all the right initial noises after losing to Ireland in the final match of the Six Nations. Through gritted teeth he was briefly gracious enough, and then reverted to type.
Right after the wheels came off his chariot in full view in Dublin, Jones was quick to try to shield his team and himself by making bold statements that could not be further removed from what transpired in the Irish capital.
All followed script, once again centring on a team on the other side of the world who he has not opposed during his time as England coach.
The All Blacks, who have not lost at home for the past seven years, are, according to Jones, ‘‘there for the taking’’ when the British and Irish Lions venture here in June. One wonders what Warren Gatland, for one, made of such an audacious prediction.
And what relevance does that have to England’s loss to Ireland? Or for that matter Jones, who had no interest joining the Lions coaching team. Other than, of course, to divert attention away from inquisitions into his adopted backyard.
It would be clever, if not so obvious.
Right after Ireland delivered a reality check, Jones followed that up by saying he could not wait for England to face the All Blacks.
From the backfoot to the front, it seems. Not so fast. Without such statements, Jones knows all headlines and focus would be squarely on England’s defeat, and their failure to secure the record outright. Even the slightest shift takes heat away.
These messages cannot be lost in translation, or passed off as slips of the tongue.
Throughout this year’s Six Nations, England’s 18-match unbeaten run and the scheduling gap between Jones and the All Blacks has been a convenient distraction; all along masking deficiencies in England’s game that can no longer be papered over.
Jones has gone from criticising predecessor Stuart Lancaster and his quest to emulate the All Blacks to mentioning Steve Hansen’s men in every second breath.
Jones’ obsession kept the All Blacks in the conversation. But, with the proposed test in November at Twickenham now seemingly unlikely to proceed, Hansen’s side is not on the radar and so is irrelevant as far as the immediate future is concerned.
With his winning record in tact, Jones has been largely insulated from probes, and the sort of intense pressure Lancaster faced.
Until now. How quickly the picture can change.
As Clive Woodward pointed out, England were fortunate to scrape past Wales and France with late tries.
Now we know Jones was outcoached by Conor O’Shea and Brendan Venter with Italy, and Joe Schmidt with Ireland, and questions are rightly being asked.
Is Jones really as good as he has been built up to be?
It’s easy to ride the wave of success; comparing yourself to the best in the world without actually testing yourself against them.
Now the pressure is on, we will find out whether Jones is truly up to the task. Welcome to the furnace, Eddie. Deflection will only get you so far.