'Rugby is out of control,' says Jones, as England regain control of Wallabi in Brisbane
England coach Eddie Jones said rugby’s use of red and yellow cards was “out of control” and the referee would be the most important player when the top teams meet at next year’s World Cup.
Key points:
- Eddie Jones and Dave Rennie were both displeased with the rules mandating a yellow card for an accidental knock-on while trying to intercept
- Jones says Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell combination is “well developed”
- Rennie says the Wallabies’ depth will be tested, especially in the locks, as the injury list increases
Speaking after his England side recorded a 25-17 win over the Wallabies at Lang Park on Saturday, Jones criticized the number of cards issued in the game, including for deliberate and controversial knock-ons.
“I think the game has gotten out of hand,” he said.
“We saw in the New Zealand-Ireland Test, at one stage the commentators couldn’t count how many players were on the pitch. Serious. They have three backs that pack scrum.
“We’ve been full-fledged hogs, where everything is a yellow card, everything is a red card and there has to be some sort of common sense coming back into the game.
On Saturday night, Wallaby Izaia Perese and England’s Marcus Smith were both sent to the spot of sin for deliberately hitting a bat while trying to intercept.
Both Jones and his Wallabies partner Dave Rennie say there needs to be some common sense applied to the rules.
“I’d say both, they’re wiretapping,” Jones said.
“Intentional knock down should be punished but it was not a deliberate knock down.”
Rennie said even referees didn’t like the rule, but were forced to apply it that way.
“No doubt Izzy was trying to catch him,” Rennie said.
This is certainly different from a deliberate slap [but] I have no problem with that decision.”
The decision sent Lang Park’s packed crowd roaring in anger from the stands, and Jones agreed.
Next year, at the World Cup in France, Jones suggested that that, and other decisions, would be key in breaking up the top teams.
“I think the top five or six at the World Cup, the referee will be the most influential player,” Jones said.
“A team that develops the best cohesion and can adapt to a red or yellow card and can adapt to the way the referee leads the game will be very important.”
Bullish Jones enjoying the atmosphere of the cauldron
Eddie Jones, and England, love to play at Lang Park.
England’s wins in their last two Tests at the venue ended a 10-game winning streak for the Wallabies in Brisbane.
“I love coaching at Suncorp,” says Jones.
“It was a good experience.
“I came out of the coach’s box and they were all wearing their scarves – when did Australians start wearing scarves? It’s a new age isn’t it – before the game they said ‘You’re going to get the belt tonight.’ and they calmed down a bit [now] so that’s good.”
Taman Lang Cauldron certainly lived up to its reputation on a Saturday night in a great setting that translated to a fierce start to England.
Jones hinted that strikers, particularly Ellis Genge, were offended by Taniela Tupou’s comments that Australia wanted to dominate England at scrum time, saying Genge “wanted to make his mark on the game”.
England’s strikers made their way early, hitting a thumping blow after just five minutes to give England a lead they would never let go of.
England had 57 per cent of possession and 52 per cent of territory, while the Wallabies conceded 16 penalties which continued to give Owen Farrell chances to score and extend the lead.
“You have to give them credit,” Rennie said.
“They put themselves on the right side of the pitch and took six penalties, so we have to look at our discipline.
“When we can play territory and play at the right end of the pitch we can get them hot, but a lot of games were played at our end.”
Meanwhile, Jones said England got a “green rub” with the referees early, allowing them to keep the pressure on the Wallabies.
“We played the way we wanted to,” he said.
The Smith-Farrell axis comes well
Jones has come under pressure over the last few years for England’s patchy form and variable election policy – nothing more than sticking with the Smith-Farrell axis in midfield.
But on Saturday, the combination worked and, although Jones insisted he doesn’t mind the constant speculation about his role, saying it was “fantastic” and there was “insanity with the sacking coach”, he would love to see the combination. work well.
“I love my mom calling me in the morning, saying, ‘are you getting fired, when are they going to fire you, are you going to go back to Australia, come back and live in Randwick’,” Jones said.
“I know all our fans aren’t happy, they’re all out there saying it’s rubbish, we don’t like selection, they’re all saying that so make sure you write it down.
“I don’t mind because I made the choice to take the job and it always will be, because there’s madness with sacking a coach now. It’s neither here nor there.”
As England lined up on the pitch early on, capitalizing on a quick ball, Smith picked up the ball in the first receiver to keep the Wallabies defense on alert.
His stuttering running and hot pace made defenders question their position and allowed England to make the breakthrough through their big ball carrier up front.
After a goal-scoring attempt and the lead established, England were able to combine very different pairing approaches to the game to maximum effect.
“We are very happy with the combination [between Smith and Farrell],” said Jones.
He praised Farrell as “the best competitor” he’s ever coached, saying Smith had just run out of diapers but was progressing well.
Injury woes increase for both teams
Both teams are feeling the effects of the brutal draw so far, with Rennie admitting his stock is “a little thin” after another Friction Test in which Cadeyrn Neville suffered a severe knee injury.
Jordan Petaia, Izaia Perese and Scott Sio all spent time in the medical room during the game for the Wallabies, while Maro Itoje is unlikely to play next week for England after sustaining a concussion in a collision with Hunter Paisami.
Sam Underhill is also a doubt for next week after he also picked up a head injury.
“I don’t want to be here talking about injuries,” Rennie said.
“That’s part of the game. We had a few, but that’s not the reason we lost tonight.”
Rennie said the Wallabies depth would be tested next week.
Jones, meanwhile, said he is treating next week as if it were a World Cup final, adding that he is most proud not of the way his team started, but of how they regained control of the game without Itoje and Underhill on the pitch. in the last quarter hour.
“I was happier with the last 15 minutes,” he said.
“The way we fought, for a young team, under pressure at Suncorp, you play against a team who are very comfortable on that pitch, the referee starts counting and it’s a tough situation and they stick together.
“Playing with that level of maturity and toughness is a very good sign for the team in the future.
“We got a lot more on the same page this week and next week we’ll be on the same page even more.”
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