HEAT IS ON ENGLAND TO KEEP FOOT ON AUSSIE THROATS
Embattled Jones desperately needs to extend winning run against old enemy
WATCHING BRIEF...
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND Kick-off: 10.55am, Optus Stadium. TV: LIVE on Sky Sports. Referee: James Doleman (NZ).
EDDIE JONES will urge his team to salvage their season today by eclipsing the Wallabies yet again — in a city where there has been so much English sporting pain.
The national team’s Australian coach is a keen cricket fan and the short coach ride to Optus Stadium for this series opener will take him and his squad past the WACA, which was such a forbidding venue for England in the Ashes over the years. They lost eight in a row there before the famous old ground — renowned for pace and brutal bounce, and home of the revered and feared Dennis Lillee — stopped hosting Tests.
That is the same number of times Jones’s side have beaten his compatriots, without losing once. Before his time, the only oval-ball clash between these fierce rivals in this western outpost went the way of the hosts as Quade Cooper led England a merry dance. The veteran playmaker is back at No 10 for the Wallabies, as he was in 2010, and the local hope is that his presence is a positive omen.
After a week of winter sun, the heat is on England. Jones has his back to the wall again after another dire Six Nations campaign followed by the rout at the hands of the Barbarians. There is a deja vu sense of being transported back to a similar scenario in 2018 — and what followed then was a 2-1 series defeat in South Africa.
It all feels so different to the last time England were here, riding the wave of a Grand Slam triumph on their way to a historic whitewash of the Wallabies. Jones knows he is under intense scrutiny, but insists that just comes with the territory.
‘Every international coach is under pressure,’ he said. ‘ I’m under pressure because we’ve not had good enough results. Our expectations are high. The media’s expectations are high. Everyone’s expectations are high. That’s OK.
‘Every coach is under pressure. Dave (Rennie, Australia’s head coach) is under pressure, across the ditch (in New Zealand) they’re under pressure, I’m under pressure, but that’s part of the job that we like and we enjoy. We accept that pressure.’
It has been a low-key build-up to such a momentous encounter. Australia had been training thousands of miles away in Queensland until Thursday night. The stadium will be a long way short of capacity for this Test as union continues to live in the shadow of league in this part of the world.
Six years ago, Jones employed mind games to unsettle the hosts, but he has not engaged in the same way this time, as it is not Rennie’s style to respond.
‘In 2016, we had (Michael) Cheika here and there was a bit of niggle,’ he said. ‘It was good Australian sport. I prefer it like that, I like a bit of fun. When you’re sparring in a corner by yourself, it’s not much fun.’
Having enjoyed a resurgence last year, the Wallabies are hell-bent on stopping the rot in this fixture. ‘History has not been in our favour for quite some time against the English and we are dead keen to rip in now,’ said their captain, Michael Hooper, yesterday. ‘It is motivation for us to win and turn the ledger. We have got three games at home to do it.
‘It’s a top rivalry. Having the Ashes at the back end of last year and the start of this year, the whole of the Australian population gets around it. It is bragging rights; big for the fans and big for us. There is a bit of history and two teams rolling into a World Cup next year. That’s exciting.’
But the hope in England’s camp is that they can unleash demons in Australian minds. Asked about the psychological impact of an eight- game winning run, lock Jonny Hill said: ‘It’s only going to be in their heads, not ours. If we start fast, they might start thinking, “No 9 is on the way”.’
This game is a difficult one to call, with recent changes of personnel and conflicting fortunes serving to blur the lines. England must be marginal favourites, but it could go either way.
Australia are set up to nullify the visitors’ pack with a pragmatic approach based on the Brumbies’ mauling clout and the control of the franchise’s former Exeter scrum-half, Nic White. However, the absence of Taniela Tupou is a big loss for Rennie.
England have Billy Vunipola back at No 8 and he will arm them with ball-carrying muscle, against a side who have Samu Kerevi as a gainline-busting outlet in midfield. Skipper Courtney Lawes welcomed the return of the imposing Saracen, saying: ‘He’s a great player and one hell of a carrier. He’ll take this opportunity in his stride.’
While the collective goal is to ignite a revival after the Six Nations slump, there should be no shortage of individual motivation. Both Vunipola brothers and Danny Care are out of exile with a point to prove, while Owen Farrell will want to deliver a statement performance after being overlooked for the captaincy.
Then there is the potential on the bench, where London Irish’s teen sensation Henry Arundell is poised for his debut. He earned his place with a 90- metre try in training — just imagine the turbo-charged full back repeating the feat today, to snatch victory from a losing position.
If that fairytale script came to pass, in this city of bouncers and pace and pain, Australia would not know what had hit them.