EDDIE IS READY TOSTICKITRIGHT BACK TO SCOTS
EDDIE JONES is demanding a hostile reception on the pitch for Scotland at Twickenham to pay them back for the stick England suffered off it 12 months ago.
Jones was hounded by drunken Scotland fans and subjected to verbal abuse at a train station in Manchester the day after England’s Murrayfield defeat which led to court fines for the perpetrators.
He said: “Every game against Scotland has extra on it. They have a healthy dislike of the English and we would certainly like to reciprocate the welcome we got up there last year.
“Twickenham is all leather patches, brogue shoes – it’s nice. You don’t get people spitting on you or grabbing you round the head so it’s different.
“We’ll make sure the hostility is on the field. We’ll be ready for them.”
England battered sorry Italy as they notched eight tries to keep their Six Nations title hopes alive.
They need Ireland to derail Wales’ Grand Slam bid in Cardiff but they will have retribution on their minds regardless on Saturday night.
They have not forgotten the pre-match tunnel flare-up at Murrayfield which saw George Ford threatened by Scotland’s Ryan Wilson.
England centre Ben Te’o said: “It would have been nice if Wilson was playing this week but he’s not.
“It was not nice to see that type of stuff with little old Eddie and I am sure if there had been some boys around there they would have been flying in. Lucky there wasn’t.
“That was disappointing but I don’t think that represents Scotland rugby, Scots and Scotland fans.”
Saturday’s Twickenham cruise was another feather in Joe Cokanasiga’s cap.
After four Tests, the Fijian-born wing looks made for this stage and bound for the World Cup.
But he admits his first taste of Jones’ demanding regime on tour to Argentina in 2017 made him think international rugby may not be for him.
Cokanasiga said: “Coming from the Under20s I was a bit immature and complacent. I decided to work hard and if you do good things come.”