Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'Mako was always up at the front with the parents and Billy was in the back, screaming'

By Online Editors
England boss Eddie Jones, reacts during the naming of his World Cup squad announcement in Bristol (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones insists England are too smart to be outwitted by scheming Argentina’s claim that his World Cup contenders play boring rugby.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pumas talisman Agustin Creevy levelled the accusation earlier in the week to ignite hostilities ahead of the crunch Pool C showdown at Tokyo Stadium where victory will propel England into the knockout phase.

Jones recalls the 1991 World Cup final when Will Carling’s team deviated from their forward-based strength in favour of a more expansive game after being taunted by Australia, who went on to triumph 12-6 at Twickenham.

“It’s the old two-card trick, another one of those great old coaches, Bob Dwyer in 1991, threw that one out and there was a response then from the England side,” Jones said.

“Maybe if they hadn’t played like that they would have two World Cups on their sleeves. There are many different ways to play the game.

Continued below…

Video Spacer

“I give you a book and you think it is interesting, I give it to someone else and he thinks it is rubbish, so what is right? Nothing is right.

“Find a way to play the game effectively – that is the great thing about our game. We know what we’re good at.”

ADVERTISEMENT

England are now five matches away from winning the World Cup and enter the first real test of their title credentials at full strength with marauding prop Mako Vunipola and tackle-busting wing Jack Nowell ready to make their Japan 2019 debuts.

Vunipola and Nowell missed the Pool C victories over Tonga and USA because of respective hamstring and ankle injuries but are deemed fit enough to make an impact from the bench.

Vunipola has played just 17 minutes of rugby since May 11 after his comeback against Ireland during the warm-up Tests was aborted due to damaged scar tissue, but he is now ready to join his brother Billy in the pack.

“Mako, at his best, is probably the best loosehead in the world and to have the calmness that he brings….” Jones said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He’s a senior counsel for our team. We have got a reasonably young team and Mako has that calmness.

“You’ve always got two brothers in Mako and Billy and one’s a bit more volatile, the other is a bit more settled, so Mako was always up at the front with the parents and Billy was in the back, screaming.

“Billy is great for us because he has got that fire and temperament and you want that from your number eight.

“You look at the history of the World Cups and they’ve always been won by big number eights.”

Nowell has not played since starring for Exeter in last season’s Gallagher Premiership final due to his troublesome ankle and an operation to have his appendix removed, but he will be unleashed upon Argentina as a hard-running impact substitute.

“I know I was criticised for saying this before, but I believe Jack could play anywhere in the back row to anywhere in the backline competently.

“He has amazing fighting spirit. He works so hard for the team. He is just a really good team-man.”

Jones has opted for the openside flanker combination of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, the duo he dubbed ‘Kamikaze Kids’, in the back row with Lewis Ludlam deputising on the bench.

At 21-years-old, Curry is the squad’s youngest player and the least popular room-mate due to his sleepwalking – a fact revealed by Underhill.

The cat-loving Sale flanker must tame Pablo Matera, the Argentina captain and driving force who also lines-up at number six.

“I would like to go to a cat cafe at some point. I am a big cat fan,” said Curry, in reference to the famous cat restaurants in Tokyo.

“There is a cat island, a cat shrine in Miyazaki that no-one wanted to go to. I think there was a ferry but everyone said no to that. It might have been the company though!”

– AP

Could this be Manu Tuilagi’s final Rugby World Cup?:

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search