Tom Jeffries
In typical Eddie Jones fashion, the Japan manager was teased after the 59-14 home defeat by England at Twickenham about a new book that will address Danny Care’s incendiary claims that he was a thug while coaching England.
Jones, rumored to have been restricted from conducting media duties during the week by his Japanese higher-ups, was familiarly provocative in his press conference, diagnosing his team’s losses due to inexperience.
eddie jones
“(My comeback) wasn’t bad until some clown started swearing at me at halftime,” Jones said.
“But if there’s only one clown out of 81,000, it’s not that bad, so he was in good company. Obviously disappointed with the result, but it’s always good to come to the home of rugby.
“What our players experience at Stade de France and now at Twickenham is like gold to them – the knowledge of what it takes to compete and win in this region.”
Regarding the controversy surrounding the game, Jones said: “I have a new book deal and I just signed it today.
It’s called ‘Caring for Care’ and you can get all the details there. There is a pre-order form. We’re trying to do a deal with the Daily Mail, but we haven’t reached an agreement yet. If you want to read about this, go here.
“I’m very serious, buddy! If you want to read about it, read it in my book.
That’s how you make headlines!”
Blitz Defense
As for England, Jones was impressed by their pressing. Japan were the first team this fall to truly succumb to blitz defense despite two resistances, most evident in Naoto Saito’s try.
Although no English try came directly, the hosts dominated field position and scored a satisfying mix of well-executed wide goals as well as close-range tries from set-pieces and braces from hookers Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie. Notably the George Furbank score earned by an outrageous offload from former Jones protégé Tommy Freeman.
“Congratulations to England,” Jones said. “And for Steve, I’m glad your friends won’t bother him for at least seven days. I’m sure he’ll enjoy his orange juice tonight!”
It was a traditional Jones press conference, but his team failed to perform on the pitch despite complaints all week that he might have something special planned for his former team.
Jamie George
“We weren’t entirely sure what to expect from Eddie Jones’ Japan team,” England captain Jamie George said.
“It gave us a great opportunity to reflect and be very clear about what we wanted, and in terms of execution I thought it was fantastic.”
With 69 days to go until England’s unenviable Six Nations opener against Ireland, that reflection will now properly begin, but given the massive frustration triggered by three defeats from a winning position this autumn, closer scrutiny will come this week. It was inevitable.
“Basically, we are disappointed with the results, especially the first three results,” George said.
“Every game there is something different you can learn.
“Especially when you think about the game against Australia, we will be very frustrated. We were very poor and did not look like us.”
For Borthwick, the Australian match is also expected to be big. Australia, who had difficulty scoring against Scotland earlier in the day, collapsed their offensive defense and gave up 42 points.
“We always want to put pressure on our opponent’s skills,” insisted Borthwick. Borthwick’s England winning record is currently just 50% overall, but 42% since the blitz began in the Six Nations.
“It’s fundamental and part of our game. If you look at the makeup of our team, our athleticism, we’re trying to build on that.
“The pressure is good for us. The coaching team changed before the series started, so I’m really happy to see this coaching team come together. We will ensure that the six countries achieve better results.”
Read more: England cemented their flat bullying form to spoil Eddie Jones’s return.
