Jones gets a dose of his own medicine

In Calcutta Cup week, it was inevitable that someone would throw a verbal grenade. The only surprise is that Gregor Townsend has pulled out the pin before England counterpart Eddie Jones.

The Scotland head coach isn’t one to indulge in hyperbole, however. This wasn’t grandstanding.

It was a measured, composed display — and it hit the mark.

Townsend chose his team announcement yesterday to highlight that England get away with murder when it comes to offside. This is especially so at line-outs — when their backs are nowhere near close to the ten metres they should be away from the set-piece.

French referee Jerome Garces certainly didn’t penalise them enough for infringing in their narrow win over Wales at Twickenham — so it’s little wonder Townsend has been keen to draw attention to it in the build-up to Saturday’s clash at Murrayfield.

It is, of course, a well-worn path for a head coach to pointedly remark on an area where they believe their opponents have been pushing the boundaries.

Jones did the same himself ahead of England’s meeting with Wales — with the Welsh captain Alyn Wyn Jones being singled out for special treatment over his perceived influence over referees.

Unless Calcutta Cup referee nigel owens enforces his own personal media blackout, there appears little doubt he will hear of Townsend’s comments. In a very public way, he has told the ref to keep a close eye on the England line.

owens remains one of the best officials in world rugby and will be used to the mind games. However, even just putting the idea in his head — perhaps creating that little more scrutiny — could benefit Scotland. It’s worth a go, right?

And, who knows, the intervention of the Scotland head coach may also put that little doubt in the minds of the England back division.

If the likes of owen Farrell are now even slightly more fearful of being penalised for being caught offside at Murrayfield then their reluctance to take that extra sneaky step off the line will help Scotland.

no doubt Jones may have his own take on things. There will undoubtedly be an area of Scotland’s play he feels needs looking at closely. But that’s just to be expected.

Every team pushes the boundaries of fair play, hoping the ref doesn’t notice. It’s the small margins that can make all the difference.

Whether it has any bearing on the final result on Saturday remains to be seen.

But it is certainly enjoyable to see the England head coach get a dose of his own medicine for a change.