Incredible All Blacks are greatest but we can beat them
SAYS EDDIE JONES
EDDIE JONES has set the scene for an epic World Cup semi-final on Saturday by saying that the All Blacks are the greatest sporting team in history.
Jones watched his side demolish Australia 40-16 to reach the last four for the first time in 12 years. Hours later, New Zealand thrashed Ireland 46-14 in Tokyo to take another step towards winning the global title for the third successive time.
He revealed that he has vast respect for England’s next opponents, but he dismissed any sense that the tournament favourites are invincible.
‘New Zealand are a great team with a great coach and a great captain, but like any team they are beatable,’ he said. ‘There are ways to beat them and we will be investigating every possible way of how we beat them this week.’
Jones is fond of a cricket reference and he once again mentioned Australia’s Ashes batting hero to reinforce his point, adding: ‘If you’re bowling against Steve Smith, or you’re bowling against Joe Root when he’s in form, you’ve got to be respectful of their ability. But there’s a way to get them out.
‘Good bowlers are able to work them out and keep (bowling) there, not go away from the plan, keep digging away. But what happens is that people get bored and they try to find the magic solution and that magic solution allows that batsman to get free.
‘If you allow them to get free, they become a different player, but if you keep them where they don’t like to be for long enough, you’ll get a result. It’s the same in rugby.’
However, Jones is only too aware of the magnitude of the task facing England. The All Blacks haven’t lost a World Cup match since France shocked them in a quarter-final in Cardiff, way back in 2007. The man in charge of England argued that they deserve to sit at the very top of the team-sports pantheon.
‘We have a challenge this week because we are playing the greatest team that has ever been in sport,’ he said. ‘If you look at their record, no other team has that over a sustained period of time. So we are going to have to be better.
‘I don’t think there’s a team that comes close to them for sustainability. Since the last World Cup, I think they’ve won nearly 90 per cent of their Tests. Name me another team in the world that plays at the absolute top level that wins 90 per cent of their games?
‘They are playing in the toughest competition in the world against the best all the time. I just admire them. To do what they do from a small country is incredible. It’s an example of what you can do.
‘People are raving about Japan at the moment and it’s fantastic, but you look at what New Zealand have done with four million people. They produce this rugby team that has a 90-per-cent winning record. You have to admire them, but then the challenge is to beat them.
‘You always want to play the best and they are the best — no one can dispute that. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to beat the best. For the players and coaches, this is the best week of their lives and you have to enjoy it and make sure you focus on yourself and work to get better.’
Jones suggested that the Irish became the latest opposition team to fall under the All Blacks’ spell before their quarter-final had even begun on Saturday night.
‘You become part of the show,’ he said. ‘I thought that happened a bit last night.’
While England were satisfied against the Wallabies, they were not indulging in euphoria.
‘All we’ve earned yesterday is another week in the competition,’ said Jones. ‘There’s nothing to celebrate.’