‘BOKS HATE US, WE CAN USE IT’

EDDIE JONES claims England will beat South Africa if they keep their heads whilst the Springboks are trying to knock them off.

Jones sounded less bullish about his team’s prospects on the upcoming tour after seeing them concede more points on Sunday than any Red Rose side has at home in 108 years.

That their conquerors were a scratch Barbarians side, which had partied so hard they had to video one of their training sessions to remind hungover players what they had done, only increases the alarm.

Asked if he remained confident of coaching England to their first-ever series win in South Africa, boss Jones (above) said: ”Yeah, we’re going over there to win.”

The first Test takes place on Saturday week at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, where England last beat the Boks in 1972. They have not beaten them anywhere in South Africa since Jonny Wilkinson’s masterclass in Bloemfontein 18 years ago.

To stand any chance, Jones says they must take advantage of the host nation’s dislike of England.

“There are certain cultural issues between the two countries that provide great motivation for the South Africans,” he said.

By which he means hatred towards England? “That is definitely part of it,” Jones added. “You have to be able to exploit that. You know at Ellis Park they will be very passionate and aggressive for the first 20 minutes.

“That creates opportunities for us.”