We’re not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
JONES’ MESSAGE TO ALL BLACKS
EddIE JONES has promised not to put on his cloak and play Little Red Riding Hood after comparing All Blacks coach Steve Hansen to the Big Bad Wolf. As England eye New Zealand’s No 1 ranking, Hansen praised Jones as he chases a second Grand Slam in two years. But rather than bow to Hansen, the Australian took a cautionary stance and cast the Kiwi as the fairytale predator. ‘You always have to be careful when an All Blacks coach compliments you,’ said Jones. ‘It’s like Red Riding Hood and the wolf when it comes dressed up as the grandmother.’ The two nations are scheduled to play in November 2018, but Hansen claimed Jones would back his side too win if the Test matchh were brought forward. rd. ‘All we have to do is worry about playing against t Ireland,’ responded Jones. ‘All we’re worried about is this week. The players realise they have a once in a lifetime me opportunity. ‘History shows back-backto-back Grandd Slams happen once every 27 years. None of these players are going to be playing in 27 years.’ Jones is expecting no casualties from Saturday’s victory over Scotland, which drew England level with the All Blacks’ record of 18 straight wins. The medical staff are ‘positive’ Elliot daly will pass his return-to-play protocols following the dangerous tackle that resulted in a citing for Scotland hooker Fraser Brown. ‘Everyone is pretty good,’ said Jones. ‘We’ve been together approximately eight weeks now. You’re together eight or nine weeks to get to a World Cup final. You get to the World Cup final and no one’s 100 per cent. ‘Everyone’s carrying injuries but it’s the team that prepares with the mindset that nothing’s going to stop them that wins the World Cup. It’s a great dress rehearsal for us.’ Perfectionist Jones has spent hours analysing Ireland’s victory over New Zealand in Chicago in November, saying: ‘I’ve watched that All Blacks game a lot. You learn a lot from any team that beats the best in the world. ‘They’ve played six games since and have a 50 per cent win record. They’rey capable of playing reallyrea well and it’s our job to make sure they ddon’t. ‘It willw be raining highigh balls on SaturdaySa — it will be kick and clap and the fans at the AvivaA love it.’ EnglandE have a cautionaryc tale, havingha lost their 2011201 Grand Slam bid ini dublin under MartinMarti Johnson. But Jones wantsw to use that as motivation. mo ti va ti He even called a ‘cleansing meeting’ during a camp in Oxford recently to help his squad deal with expectation. ‘We felt we needed to reset our minds a little bit,’ he revealed. ‘It was just about accepting that we’ve been successful. I think the English — I don’t like to talk about it because I’m not English — are quite reserved and they struggle quite a bit with success. ‘The perception from the Celts is the opposite. They think the English are arrogant. As an Australian I think the English are very polite and reserved and they struggle to actually carry that success around. ‘We acknowledged we’ve been successful and it’s how much we want to be great now. Our desire is to be the best in the world.’