BRING IT ON, ENGLAND!

Aussies to fight fire with fire

AUSTRALIA are primed to meet fire with fire by replicating England’s ‘ Bodyline’ strategy of physical aggression and intimidation in the forthcoming Test series.

Eddie Jones, the tourists’ head coach, has lit the fuse for a potentially explosive three matches by making regular references to the infamous Bodyline Ashes series of the 1930s when England used hostile, short-pitched bowling to pound Don Bradman and Co into submission.

It is Jones’s intention to harness that mindset in a rugby context, by sending his team out to quell the hosts with ferocity and abrasive intent.

There has been much English talk of dominating Australia up front, to create a platform for success here, but the Wallabies are approaching the games in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with the same outlook.

Prop James Slipper, sporting a black eye after a volatile training camp on the Sunshine Coast last week, was asked what he made of England’s statements about gaining forward supremacy by force and he said, pointedly: ‘Well, they say that every year. We’re trying to do the same thing to them.

‘It was the same sort of chat before the World Cup but at the end of the day you have to go out there and do it. I’m sure both teams will be trying to do it. It’s setting up to be a good series.’

The standard English perception of Australian set-piece weakness has been shown up as outdated, not least last autumn when Michael Cheika’s side dominated all areas as they dumped the hosts out of the World Cup with a 33-13 win at Twickenham.

‘I think we’ve come a long way in the last couple of years,’ said Slipper, in reference to Australia’s scrum improvement.

‘ We’re confident, but we understand that we still have to work pretty hard on our scrum. We’ll be coming up against a strong England pack and it’s going to be a tough series.

Slipper has also been alerted to the threat posed by England’s rookies Kyle Sinckler and Ellis Genge.

‘I’ve heard about them,’ he said. ‘They’ve gone for a physical team and there will be threats all over the field.’