Jones wants his men to be ‘smart’
WARNING: ‘WE MUST KEEP AN EYE ON FOLEY, KEREVI’
London
England coach Eddie Jones has warned his side to stay “sharp and smart” when they bring down the curtain on their 2018 against Australia at Twickenham today.
Jones’ men have won just five of 11 Tests in 2018 and Australia four of 12 heading into this weekend’s match – concerning figures with less than a year to go until the World Cup in Japan.
It was all a far cry from Jones’ stunning start as England boss – an appointment made after Australia knocked the hosts out of the 2015 World Cup – which saw just two defeats in his first 26 Tests.
But victory would be a sixth in a row for England against Australia under Jones.
More importantly, it would also mean they had won three of their four Twickenham encounters this month, with the only reverse an agonising 16-15 defeat by world champions New Zealand.
England, however, were sluggish at the start of last week’s eventual 35-15 win over Japan and found themselves five points down at half-time.
But Jones has reverted to something near his strongest available side with Owen Farrell, whose entry off the bench for the second half turned the tide against Japan, starting at flyhalf.
Intriguingly, Farrell’s co-captain Dylan Hartley is on the bench, with Jamie George preferred as the starting hooker.
No one knows better than Jones, who exactly 15 years earlier to the day on Thursday had been Australia’s coach when they lost the 2003 World Cup final to England, how Wallaby rugby must live on its wits given a relatively small playing base.
And he warned England would have to pay close attention to Australia centres Bernard Foley and Samu Kerevi, who between them combine guile and power.
England’s pack will be hoping to starve an Australia side coached by Michael Cheika – who played alongside Jones for Sydney club Randwick – of the ball.
A key figure in that aim will be Saracens second-row Maro Itoje.
Australian scrumhalf Will Genia will win his 100th cap, but there was no place at all in the matchday 23 for talented playmaker Kurtley Beale.
“I want to play a certain way in this game, so I had to make some really difficult decisions,” Cheika explained. –