HAS THIS KID GOT THE BOTTLE?
Jones ruthlessly targets Welsh rookie and warns him trouble’s heading his way
RHYS PATCHELL found himself in the cross- hairs yesterday, as England made it abundantly clear that they will seek to target and unsettle the rookie Wales fly-half.
The 24-year- old Scarlets playmaker was outstanding as Warren Gatland’s side swept aside Scotland in Cardiff in their NatWest 6 Nations opener. But after naming his line-up for this latest outbreak of cross- border hostilities at Twickenham, Eddie Jones identified Patchell as an inexperienced No 10 who may struggle to handle what England throw at him.
It was a blatant and sustained attempt to undermine the confidence of a man who has taken his superb regional form into the Wales side, where he has been asked to lead the attack in the enforced absences of Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland. But he has only six international caps and Jones was quick to call him out.
‘They’ve got to get the ball wide and Patchell hasn’t played much Test rugby,’ he said. ‘He’s a young guy, he’s inexperienced and he’s their third-choice 10.
‘It’s going to be different from playing against Scotland. Scotland couldn’t cope with expectation and now he’s got to cope with the expectation of playing well. He’s got to find guys around him to help because he’s going to be under some heat.
‘For young guys like Patchell, playing in front of that crowd of 82,000 with boys like Sam Simmonds, Chris Robshaw and Owen Farrell running at him, it will be one hell of an experience for the kid. So I hope he has the bottle on Saturday.
‘It is easy to play when the ball is on the front foot and going from side to side. But when it gets a bit cut and thrust, nip and tuck… This will be a proper Test match. Then we will see if he has the bottle to handle it.’
When asked whether his own No 10, George Ford, still has to cope with being aggressively targeted, Jones went for the jugular. ‘George has played a lot of Test rugby — 30-odd Tests — and he’s got Owen next to him who’s played 40-odd Tests. He’s got Danny Care inside him, playing his 78th. There’s a lot of experience on either side. Who’s Patchell going to look for? He hasn’t got a lot of experience inside or outside him.
‘I’d imagine that when Alun Wyn Jones and the guys go down for breakfast on Saturday morning, they’ll be looking at him thinking, “Can this kid handle the pressure today?”. It’s a big ask on him.
‘Every time Patchell gets the ball he’s going to see JJ’s (Jonathan Joseph) head in his way. He’s a good-looking bloke, but you don’t want that as you go to pass the ball. He’s either going to have to go over him or kick through. And then they give us the ball back.’
Rarely has Jones singled out an opposition player so emphatically. Two years ago, he highlighted the concussion issues which had stalked Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton, but the Australian has not warned someone in the rival team so openly that trouble is heading his way. It was his way of responding to a bullish Gatland.
The Wales coach’s barbs had found their target, given the way Jones bit back. He sought to stick a pin in the balloon of revived Welsh optimism, when asked about their victory over dire Scotland, saying: ‘I think they played well. And they are definitely confident and cocky.
‘They definitely believe in the way they are playing, but it will be different on Saturday in front of 82,000 people at Twickenham. It will be great for us on Saturday. We’ve heard how fit Wales are… If it was a cross-fit game, then I’d understand why fitness was so important, but we don’t have to worry too much about that.’
Likewise, Wales were not unduly worried about Jones’ mind-games. Forwards coach Robin McBryde delivered some careful retorts. On Patchell, he said: ‘ Any player wearing the No 10 jersey is going to be put under pressure. He is surrounded by a number of players from his region and that cohesion it brings, that familiarity, will hopefully stand up under the pressure of international rugby.
‘Eddie’s always got a few things to get off his chest and hopefully he’ll feel better for it! He has said he is going to put us under pressure, but the same goes for us.’
As for his own area of primary influence, McBryde added: ‘ We know they are going to come after us at the set-piece and I think we’ll stand up to it and hopefully repay the compliment. But I think we have a duty to the paying public. Ticket prices at Twickenham are quite high, so the last thing they want to see is a scrum-fest. We are quite comfortable with our attacking threats behind.’
With one day to go until the old rivals collide, the pot is coming to the boil, right on cue.