Jones not money behind England bid to play NZ — RFU
>> LONDON: England’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to stage a match against world champions New Zealand later this year was sparked by coach Eddie Jones not money, the RFU said on Friday.
World No.1 ranked New Zealand and nearest pursuers England are not scheduled to meet again until 2018.
However, this month it emerged that England’s governing Rugby Football Union had held talks with their New Zealand counterparts about the possibility of squeezing in an additional Test at Twickenham on Nov 4.
But rather than play England, the All Blacks have decided to face the Barbarians at Twickenham on Nov 4 — a date when the invitational club had long thought they would be playing at ‘headquarters’ as part of their 125th anniversary celebrations.
Six Nations champions England equalled New Zealand’s record of 18 successive Test victories by a ‘tier one’ or leading rugby union nation with victory over Scotland at Twickenham earlier this month.
But their attempts to break New Zealand’s record and complete backto-back Six Nations Grand Slams foundered with a 13-9 loss to Ireland in Dublin last Saturday.
England last played New Zealand in 2014, when the All Blacks won 24-21 at Twickenham.
When it emerged the RFU were thinking of staging a match against New Zealand this year, the world’s wealthiest national union were accused of being interested only in making money.
But RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie insisted sporting reasons alone lay behind his approach to New Zealand Rugby Union opposite number Steve Tew.
“I felt there was an opportunity to have a discussion with Steve Tew over whether or not we can play the All Blacks,” Ritchie told a Twickenham news conference on Friday.
“I had discussions at the behest of Eddie, not because of any economics.
“It came up in conversation — I asked Eddie if he wanted to play this game if there was a possibility of doing it... Eddie said ‘yes, absolutely’.”
Ritchie added: “This was never about us trying to make x millions of pounds. If Eddie didn’t want the game I wouldn’t ever have tried it.”