FORGET THE MIND GAMES, SAYS CHEIKA
AUSTRALIA head coach Michael Cheika has refused to engage in mind games with England counterpart Eddie Jones, claiming that to do so could harm his team’s preparations for the Test series. Since the tourists arrived Down Under late last week, Australian Jones has tried to get under the skin of the locals by talking about their dirty-tricks tactics and even publicly picking the Wallabies side for his former Randwick RFC team-mate. But, asked about Jones’s remarks, Cheika said: ‘He hasn’t really thrown many barbs. He hasn’t called me fat or bald or anything like that — he hasn’t been nasty. He’s just doing what he thinks his team needs, so that’s what he’s doing to support his team. ‘We look at it a different way. History has proven it’s not good to fight a war on two fronts, so my focus has been on our team. I don’t want my players to think that all that stuff’s going to win us the game. What will win the game is aggression, speed, good skills, hunger and being prepared to do whatever it takes.’ Australia are optimistic that prop Sekope Kepu will be available for the series opener, despite being short of fitness after returning from a stint playing in France. However, there are doubts about whether centre Christian Lealiifano will be able to participate, as he is still in Canberra awaiting the birth of his first child. Asked about renewing the rivalry with England, Cheika added: ‘Obviously they’ll have a lot of belief behind them after the Six Nations. ‘My view is that the English team we played at the World Cup was a very good team. I just think a couple of things didn’t work out for them and the margins are so fine. ‘A lot of the people are the same and they’re doing very well now. They are Grand Slam champions and the best team in Europe, coming down to the Southern Hemisphere with eyes on being No 1 in the world. I think that is logical.’