Jones: If team fronts up early, we can beat Scots
JAPAN may be the sensation of the World Cup but coach Eddie Jones has warned Scotland his side have not peaked yet.
The Brave Blossoms caused the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history when they beat two-time winners South Africa in Brighton on Saturday.
They now turn their attentions to tomorrow’s meeting with the Scots at Kingsholm and Jones is confident they can take another high-profile scalp.
“Next it’s the most important game in the World Cup, against Scotland,” he said.
“We haven’t just come here to make one splash in the pond, we are here to play a World Cup and we want to make the quarter-finals.
“If the players aren’t excited after Saturday that would be a problem, they are excited. It’s a quick turnaround but we are used to that.”
Jones has made six changes to the side which stunned the Springboks, with Amanaki Lelei Mafi replacing injured No 8 Hendrick Tui.
The Australian coach knows his side face an altogether different challenge against the Scots.
“Scotland are going to maul and high punt, it’s probably not going to be a pretty game,” he added.
“We have to front up physically in the set-pieces and if we do that we will put ourselves in the game.
“We’ve got slight variations in how we want to play. Test match rugby is about fronting up in the first 30 minutes, and if we are still in it after 30 minutes then I reckon we can win the game.
“The start will be super important. We have to start early, but that can be hard after winning the previous game.
“To borrow a cricket analogy if you score 100, when you come out in your next innings you have to work even harder.”
Japan’s success has caused a stir around the rugbyloving world and also in their homeland, where the usual national sports have been knocked off the back pages.
“Apparently rugby’s on the news now, which is unusual,” said Jones with a smile. “It’s usually sumo and baseball but the big guys have had to move out the way now.
“It’s fantastic for the sport going forward. We want it to be a global sport, and an Asian country beating a toptier country really makes it global.” Action from the latest ATP Tour event. Sky Sports 1 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 9.00 Premier League 100 Club. 9.30 SPFL Round-up. 10.00 Fantasy Football Club – The Highlights. 10.30 Soccer AM: The Best Bits. 11.30 FL72 Highlights. 2.00 Soccer AM: The Best Bits. 3.00 NFL. 4.00 Fantasy Football Club – The Highlights. 4.30 SPFL Round-up. 5.00 MLS Round-up Show. 5.30 Barclays Premier League Review. 6.30 Football Gold. 7.00 Live Capital One Cup Football. 10.15 Sir Alex Ferguson Interview. 10.45 Boxing Gold. 12.45 Capital One Cup Football. Sky Sports 2 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 12.00 Australia’s Best Ashes Days. 3.00 Cricket Specials – IPL Greatest Catches 2015. 3.15 Glenn Mcgrath Masterclass. 4.45 Cricket Specials – IPL Greatest Catches 2015. 5.00 Adam Gilchrist Masterclass. 6.00 Cricket’s Greatest. 6.30 Sportswomen. 6.55 Live La Liga Football. 9.00 Live La Liga Football. 11.00 Elite League Speedway. 1.30 Super League Fulltime. Sky Sports 3 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 12.00 Darts Gold. 12.30 Live World Cup Of Pool. 4.30 Darts Gold. 5.00 Sporting Heroes: Gary Newbon Interviews Martina Hingis. 6.00 Super League Fulltime. 6.30 Live World Cup Of Pool. 10.30 WWE: Late Night – Smackdown. 11.30 Sporting Heroes: Gary Newbon Interviews Martina Hingis. 12.30 La Liga World. Sky Sports 4 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 12.00 Elite League Speedway. 2.30 Asian Tour Golf. 3.30 European Tour Golf. 4.30 PGA Tour Golf. 5.30 Asian Tour Golf. 6.30 NFL. 7.30 Golfing World. 8.00 Challenge Series Golf. 8.30 Sporting Rivalries. 9.00 Web.com Tour Golf. 10.00 Live Sky Poker. 12.00 World Poker Tour. British Eurosport Sport programmes from 7.00am, including at: 10.00 Live ATP Tennis. 6.00 ATP Tennis. 7.50 Football’s Greatest. 8.30 World Rallycross Championship. 9.30 FIA World Endurance Championship. 10.00 Motorcycling: Pit Stop. 10.30 Blancpain Endurance Series. 11.30 Motocross World Championship. 12.00 Cycling. 1.00 Close. BT Sport 1 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 12.30 SPFL Highlights. 1.00 ESPN FC. 1.30 Global Goals. 1.45 UEFA Champions League Magazine. 2.15 Game Of The Week. 2.45 Under21 Premier League. 4.15 Premier League Review. 5.15 French Ligue 1 Preview. 5.45 Live French Ligue 1. 8.00 Live French Ligue 1. 10.00 Boxing Tonight. 11.00 ESPN Classic Boxing. 12.15 Global Goals. BT Sport 2 Sport programmes from 6.00am, including at: 12.00 F4 Highlights. 1.00 Bundesliga Review. 2.00 AFL Highlights Show. 3.00 The Ultimate Fishing Show. 3.30 French Ligue 1 Preview. 4.00 Bundesliga Weekly. 4.30 Live Bundesliga 2. 6.30 Global Goals. 6.45 Live Bundesliga. 9.00 UFC: Beyond The Octagon. 9.30 UFC – Ultimate Insider. 10.00 Football Classics. 11.00 SPFL Highlights. 11.30 Football Federation Australia Cup. 1.00 Game Of The Week.