Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell call on England to defy critics in South Africa
Written by News on 09/06/2018
Eddie Jones has challenged England to defy their critics and pull off a “special” victory against South Africa at Ellis Park, live on Sky Sports Action
A four-match losing sequence, including last month’s non-cap international against the Barbarians, has placed the Jones regime under scrutiny.
Bath owner Bruce Craig has accused the England coach of over-working his players to the point of injury.
England have never won a series on South African soil and have triumphed in only three of their 13 previous Tests there, but Jones is backing his team to deliver the victory that will buy him some breathing space and act as a platform for the revival he believes is imminent.
“Everyone’s excited about this opportunity. Everyone’s bagging us, everyone’s saying we can’t win,” Jones said.
“From ex-players to ex-coaches, they’re saying we’re no good, so it’s a great opportunity for us to show we are of value. It’s a great challenge for us.
“We have a new side, a new team, a new captain and we want to play the game in a new way. It’s a great opportunity for us to start the march to the World Cup.
“Ultimately, to win the World Cup you have got to win these big games like beating South Africa in Ellis Park, so this is an opportunity for us to take a step forward.
“To me it is one of those things, growing up in rugby, who do you want to beat? South Africa at Ellis Park, All Blacks at Eden Park and as an Australian – England at Twickenham.
“They are the big games and we have got an opportunity on Saturday to do something special.”
Jones’ sentiments have been echoed by Farrell, the newly installed captain who knows it is a role he could be filling at next year’s World Cup given Dylan Hartley’s ongoing concussion problems.
The fiercely-competitive Saracens playmaker is the heartbeat of Jones’ England and has been stung by the reaction to the three successive losses that scarred their recent Six Nations campaign.
“We learned a lot about ourselves in that competition,” the 26-year-old said.
“We were probably not as bad as everyone made out at the time, but the challenge now is to get excited about this weekend and to be able to take a knock and still come through it.
“Not just sticking in the game but for it to bring out the best in you. That’s something we’ll try and make sure happens.”
Billy Vunipola has returned at No 8, having missed 15 months of international duty because of injury, but while England insist he has trained fully this week there is a concern over the hamstring problem that stalked him throughout the Aviva Premiership play-offs.
Tom Curry joins him in the back row in an exciting selection that could signal the end of Jones’ search for a genuine openside, while Elliot Daly slots in at full-back with Mike Brown on the left wing.
Tune into Sky Sports Action from 3pm on Saturday to follow the Rose on England’s journey to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, starting with their first Test on the tour to South Africa.
(c) Sky News 2018: Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell call on England to defy critics in South Africa
