EDDIE’S GAMBLE

Jones’ decision to target Patchell pays off but this was always going to be a close one — and he knew it

THE risk paid off for Eddie Jones. They usually do. There were those who said that he had set himself up for a fall by piling the pressure on Wales’ in experienced fly-half Rhys Patchell. There were others who said the England coach lacked class. But winning games of rugby tends to wipe away the most egregious sins and Jones does a lot of winning.

‘When Alun Wyn Jones and the guys go down for breakfast on Saturday, they’ll be looking at him thinking, ‘Can this kid handle the pressure?’ Jones had said. ‘It’s a big ask and we will see if he has the bottle to handle it. He is going to have Robshaw at him, Farrell at him, Care at him — all guys that have played a lot of Test rugby.’

All of Wales wanted Patchell to ram those taunts back down the throat of the England coach and, before the game, the big screen at Twickenham showed footage of visiting fans saying they were desperate for Patchell to be their match-winner.

Jones had cast himself as the playground bully and plenty of neutrals wanted to see him get his comeuppance. It was the story of the build-up to the match and, when Patchell kicked at goal from just inside halfway five minutes into t he game and watched as his attempt drifted narrowly to the left, the television cameras cut straight to Jones as he sat in the coaches’ box. When the ball missed, his expression did not change.

When England had won 24 of their last 25 games and 14 consecutive home victories in the Six Nations, Jones versus Patchell was always likely to be something of an unequal struggle. That, no doubt, was one of the reasons why the England coach called it on with a lad who was making only his seventh appearance for his country.

Whether it worked is a moot point. Patchell played well. One superb cross- field kick in the first half should have led to a try but, against the apparent evidence from the replays, t he Television Match Official ruled that Gareth Anscombe had not got to the ball before Anthony Watson and disallowed the score. The Welsh, understandably, were apoplectic.

There were times when Patchell looked uncomfortable under the high ball and certainly he did not make the same impact he made against Scotland last Saturday.

But England are an entirely different proposition to Scotland and Patchell, who was playing in a Wales t eam weakened by t he absences of Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau, Jonathan Davies, Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar and the late withdrawal of Leigh Halfpenny did not disgrace himself.

Jones had suggested he might crack up but he avoided that fate. And long before Patchell departed the field 15 minutes into the second half, replaced by George North, it had become clear that the attempt to undermine the young Welshman said a lot more about Jones than it did about Patchell.

Sometimes it feels as if Jones needs to challenge himself. He needs to spice it up a bit. Sometimes it seems as if it is only fun for him if he is winding someone up. He needs the angst. He wants the aggravation. He wants people to

use him as a target. He relishes the pressure that putting his head above the parapet brings.

There were t hose who had suggested that Jones’ behaviour was reminiscent of a Premier League manager and there may be comparisons to be drawn with his ability to command the attention of the media before a game and the same talent in football’s master of the art, Jose Mourinho.

When Mourinho does it, his admirers say it is to take pressure away from his players in moments of tension and Jones may also feel it is a useful tac tic. Or, like Mourinho, he may just love the attention.

If you win, then criticism of the coach is empty. And England keep winning. But this was not a nerveless victory for Jones and his side. Far from it. In fact, it was close enough to suggest that Jones’ attempt to destabilise Patchell before the game was a product of the fact that he suspected it was going to be close and that he needed to work every angle he could.

On a filthy day at Twickenham, when only the most hardy gathered under their umbrellas in the car parks to sample their picnics, England had begun the game as if they were going to win comfortably. A brilliant through kick from Owen Farrell in the third minute found Jonny May hurtling down the left wing and he got to the ball first to put England ahead.

Midway through the half, England went further ahead when Farrell flung a long pass out to the left to Joe Launchbury. Launchbury was tackled by two Wales players but produced a spectacular offload to May, who scampered over the line for his second score. But England did not score again. They spent much of the rest of the game defending their lead and Patchell reduced their lead with a first-half penalty.

The match turned into a war of attrition and memories of previous Wales’ comebacks at Twickenham, not least their devastating World Cup victory here in 2015, started to seep into English minds.

Scott Williams should have scored a try late in the game but he was bundled into touch just shy of the line. By the end, England were hanging on.

Every England victory is a vindication for Jones but the way they tired, the way they allowed Wales back into the game, suggested that Jones’ attack on Patchell was camouflage for concerns he harboured about his own side’s ability to win. He took a risk when he targeted Patchell and he got away with it. Just.