Jones: Critics not so smart now, are they?

A TRIUMPHANT, defiant Eddie Jones revelled in silencing his critics and the taunts of Australian fans, as England levelled the Test series at the Suncorp Stadium.

Under pressure after losing in Perth, England stormed into a 19-0 lead and hung on in the face of a second-half fightback by the Wallabies. They now face a decider in Sydney next Saturday, but without pack talisman Maro Itoje, who has a concussion. Flanker Sam Underhill is another doubt.

The result here ended England’s run of four successive defeats and earned vital respite for Jones, after widespread speculation that his position as head coach could be in jeopardy.

Asked if the ‘noise’ fired him up, he said: ‘No, I like it. I think it is fantastic. I love my mother ringing me up in the morning, saying: “Are you going to get sacked?”. My poor mother. But I don’t mind it, because I have made the choice to take the job and that’s always going to happen because there’s infatuation with sacking coaches now.’

Having been regularly quizzed about unrest among fans, he added, tongue-in-cheek: ‘Our fans are unhappy. They’re all out there saying that it was rubbish and they don’t like the selection.’

Jones also revealed he had been heckled by Wallabies supporters and enjoyed how his team made a mockery of the taunts, saying: ‘Before the game, they’re coming up, saying to me: “You’re going to get belted tonight”. They’re not so smart now. Now they are a little bit quieter.’ England’s win came at a cost. Itoje appeared to be knocked out when he tried to tackle Hunter Paisami late in the first half and Underhill was left dazed after another blow to the head, following repeated concussions earlier in the season.

‘The medical situation with Maro is he won’t be available next week,’ said Jones. ‘Underhill, we are still assessing, through the protocols.’

The coach delivered a resounding tribute to Owen Farrell, who kicked 20 points and was named man of the match. ‘Owen is Owen,’ he said. ‘He never changes. He hates the world. He’s the best competitor

I’ve ever coached. He fights hard, loves the battle, drives standards. He’s an incredible player.’

Australian captain Michael Hooper admitted defensive and disciplinary lapses cost his team, after being blasted backwards by Ellis Genge in the first minute as England’s prop set the tone.

‘We weren’t tackling well enough,’ said Hooper. ‘Genge is a hard man to tackle, jeez. I’d like to avoid that again! It was one-way traffic.

‘We were allowing England to get into us. It’s our fault completely. We know they’re going to come hard. We need to be more disciplined.’