Jones: Cardiff loss irks me ...now we owe Wales one

EDDIE JONES has ordered his England players to take revenge on Wales after tapping into last year’s humiliation in Cardiff. The 21-13 defeat killed off English hopes of a Grand Slam, before Warren Gatland rubbed salt in the wounds by questioning their big-game ability. Wayne Pivac has since taken over from Gatland as Wales coach, but Jones has not forgotten the ‘bottle job’ narrative that threatened to derail World Cup preparations. In response, he has named England’s most experienced team of all time for tomorrow’s match at Twickenham. ‘England-Wales games are a little bit different, aren’t they?’ said Jones. ‘You never like to lose to Wales… and we lost last year. So we owe them one. ‘That was one of the games that got us in our best condition for the World Cup. It’s still a game that irks the players. It irks me.’

England threw away a half-time lead at the Principality Stadium, where Wales wound up Kyle Sinckler and emphatically celebrated their two late tries. Gatland’s barbs created the headlines but Jones promised that tomorrow’s act, in contrast, will be a ‘silent comedy’. ‘Since I’ve been coaching, the average points difference is six points,’ he said. ‘They are tough affairs that go down to the wire. Particularly under Warren, they have been one of the most physical teams in the world. Pivac is trying to add a more passing attack game, but they’ll still bring that physical quality.’ At the end of a half-baked campaign, Jones is hoping to have the last laugh. England

have beaten Scotland and Ireland and the head coach has made just two team changes as he bids for a Triple Crown. Mark Wilson replaces the injured Sam Underhill at No 7, while fit-again Anthony Watson takes over from Jonathan Joseph on the wing. Both players are making their first Test appearances since the World Cup, with Jones shutting down any coronavirus talk and focusing the squad on rediscovering their autumn form. ‘Everyone’s focused on Wales,’ he insisted, repeatedly. Even the prospect of George Kruis playing his last game for England before a move to Japan was met with the textbook response. ‘The only thing he’s got to worry about is playing on Saturday and playing well,’ said the Australian.

Kruis is one of six Saracens players in England’s matchday 23. They will come up against Saracens club-mate Nick Tompkins, the centre, who was on England’s radar before surprisingly pledging his allegiance to Wales this year. ‘We are always looking at a squad of 60-70 players,’ revealed Jones. ‘We’d looked at Nick Tompkins but he decided he wanted to play for Wales, so it’s a pretty easy decision.’ England will target Tompkins’ defensive inexperience by sending Manu Tuilagi down his midfield channel, with club-mate Owen Farrell at No 12. ‘Nick is a fantastic player who has been able to unlock a game for a while,’ said Farrell. ‘He’s made a big step up this year in terms of doing it week in, week out for the club.’