Clash against ‘greatest ever’ Welsh side excites coach Jones
ENGLAND head coach Eddie Jones turned his sights to the “greatest Welsh side ever” after a resounding mauling of France gave his men two wins from two Guinness Six Nations games.
England backed up their victory in Ireland with a 44-8 defeat of Les Bleus at Twickenham, falling one point short of the record margin of victory of 37 points, set in 1911.
Jonny May scored a first-half hat-trick and there were tries for Henry Slade, Owen Farrell and a penalty try as England kept hapless France scoreless in the second half. Farrell kicked an additional 14 points.
Next for Jones’ men is a trip to Cardiff on February 23, with Jones apparently having forgotten the great Wales sides of the 1970s and the Grand Slam winners of 2005, 2008 and 2012 in his assessment of Warren Gatland’s men.
“There’s a lot more in this team and we understand that and we’re committed to being the very best we can be,” Jones said. “When we get back together on Wednesday we’ll start the process of how we can get better again.
“We’re playing the greatest Welsh side ever; we’re going to have to be at our absolute best.
“You know you’re playing against a Warren Gatland side. He’s been at the top of the tree in European rugby for the last 15 years, through his club and country and the Lions.
“You’re playing against a tough, physical team. They contest hard at the breakdown. You’ve got to earn every point against them. We’re looking forward to going down there. Should be fun.”