TE’O BAGS THE GLORY
But Jones admits: I didn’t prepare properly
EDDIE JONES admitted he nearly cost England a winning start to the Six Nations – and his bench got him out of jail.
England scrambled over the line thanks to replacement Ben Te’o crashing through with 10 minutes left after a great delayed pass by George Ford had freed Owen Farrell (below).
Chuck in t urbo- charged performances from super subs James Haskell and Matt Mullan when England were rocking and it ended up all right on the night after a shocking first hour.
Victory saw Jones’ side eclipse the 14- straight win record of Martin Johnson’ legendary team between 2002 and 2003.
Johnno’s England were a great team but this current lot are miles off that mark at the moment and Jones knows it.
But they nicked a win – and all without the Vunipola boys, Mako and Billy, Chris Robshaw, George Kruis and Anthony Watson, who are all on the casualty list.
But the gaffer revealed he will be cracking the whip ahead of next weekend’s clash with Wales in Cardiff. He said: “It is always good to win when you don’t play well.
“I take full responsibility – I didn’t prepare the team well and I will make sure we will be prepared better for next week.
“I thought we were awful but we were always going to win the game and that is what I like about these boys.
“They have got a never- say-die attitude. They keep at it, even when they are not going well and things are not going right.
“It was a great result for our 23 and we have a very strong bench. Given we have four of our topclass forwards out we can still bring on a bench that makes a difference. It is a great testament to the squad. I am very pleased for the team but not pleased with our performance, but i t’s the first game of the tournament and we will improve.
“We probably missed the Vunipolas but it’s no excuse. We have to learn to play without them.”
Match-winner Te’o had been on for two minutes when he got the clincher, but he admitted England got away with one at HQ.
Rookie
The centre said: “It was a little bit ugly. We have got a lot to work on – we will l ook at our preparation, but we won. All that matters is that we got the win.” England went in level at 9-9 at the break but they could have been 15 points down and Jones must have chucked some tea cups around. No Vunipolas meant England were not hitting the visitors on the gain line and they got on the wrong side of rookie Aussie ref Angus Gardner. They gifted the French seven penalties, made handling errors and Jonny May was binned for upending visiting centre Gael Fickou after 12 minutes. England were losing their heads. Joe Marler went in at the side brainlessly while Maro Itoje looked out of place at flanker and Dylan Hartley made such a hash of one lineout it would not have been out of place at a comedy club.
Gardner was refereeing at Rosslyn Park last weekend and his decision to penalise Tom Wood when the ball was out of a ruck and the flanker dived on it was real amateur hour stuff.
France fly-half Camille Lopez and Farrell swapped penalties and Elliot Daly’s 48-metre effort gave Jones’ mob hope.
But Farrell hit the woodwork with a second-half penalty and Daly had a score chalked off for a foot in touch before England took the lead finally – thanks to a Farrell three-pointer. It did not last long. On the hour, replacement France prop Rabah Slimani dived over and England were 16- 12 down heading into the last quarter.
But up popped Farrell to put Te’o in and Jones is still the man who can do no wrong – even if his team got plenty wrong yesterday.