Former England head coach Eddie Jones has said his Japan side are aiming to “make the Twickenham sky fall in on” Steve Borthwick’s “distracted” charges in Saturday’s Nations Championship Test.
Jones, who oversaw England between 2016 and 2022, before being dismissed a year before the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France after a calendar year saw just five victories and England fans booing the side following defeat to South Africa.
The 66-year-old has since returned to Australia for an ill-fated and short second reign which ended in a first-ever World Cup pool stage exit for the Wallabies, and then returned as Japan head coach in 2024.
Ahead of his Brave Blossoms side facing England at Twickenham on Saturday, Jones has sought to stoke the flames.
“We’re massive underdogs,” Jones told the BBC. “We’ve got to find a way to disrupt an England side that’s looking at New Zealand next week [Saturday November 21] and sometimes may be a little bit distracted.
“Our opportunity is to get in there, cause some havoc, cause some chaos, put off their game, get the crowd booing. Then the sky starts to come in on Twickenham and you never know what can happen.
“We’ve seen it happen with Italy and other countries [Italians beat England for first time in March].
“The noise does get to the team and it can be pretty loud in England. You’ve got a lot of newspapers, a lot of media, probably more than any other country in the world.
“Sometimes that can weigh down on the players and it’s the job of the leadership to get the players thinking straight.
“Steve [Borthwick] is an outstanding coach and a very intelligent man, and a really good coach. So I’ve got the highest respect for him.”
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Jamie George told Sky Sports England’s players were hurt by the ‘shocking’ report of a rift with Borthwick
Jones plays down Pollock’s impact on the wing – ‘Wouldn’t read much into it’
England are entering Saturday’s Test off the back of a much-needed, morale-boosting 45-22 victory over Australia in the Nations Championship.
In a week when Borthwick came under intense scrutiny following newspaper reports of a summer rift with his England squad – claims denied by Jamie George to Sky Sports – England responded with a seven-try performance and record point haul against Australia.
Back-row Henry Pollock also starred out of position on the wing for 40 minutes, having emerged at half-time to score two tries en route to victory.
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Steve Borthwick praises ‘excellent’ Henry Pollock after a standout performance on the wing for England against Australia
Jones was quick to play down Pollock’s exploits, however.
“I wouldn’t look too much into it,” Jones added. “Everyone was licking the ice cream on Sunday. They were on the front foot, everyone’s lining up to run the ball, there’s no pressure in the game.
“He’s a fast back-rower, he got the ball in space and he’s a talented player, there’s no doubt about it, but you couldn’t read into it any more than that.”
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Henry Pollock spoke on his change in position during the Rugby Union game between England and Australia
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
