England’s head coach, Eddie Jones, said he hoped the historic 3-0 series whitewash of Australia will lift the public mood in his adopted country following this week’s EU referendum. Jones also praised Owen Farrell’s goal‑kicking, describing it as “solar‑system class” following his team’s 44-40 third Test victory.
With England having doubled their previous tally of major summer Test wins in the southern hemisphere in the space of three weekends, Jones suggested the outcome would at least be a temporary distraction from the implications of the Brexit vote. “I’m sure people in England will be talking a little less about the pound devaluing and more about the value of the England rugby side going up,” said the Australian.
“Very few sides beat Australia in Australia. The All Blacks do but there aren’t too many others. We’ve not only beaten Australia, we’ve beaten them 3-0 and it’s the first time they’ve been whitewashed since 1971. It’s a significant achievement but it’s only a small step for us.”
Farrell’s 24-point haul – he scored a total of 66 points and missed only three attempts in the series – was a key element in ensuring a clean sweep and Jones praised the input of Jonny Wilkinson, who has been coaching him on an occasional basis. “We’ve got to be very thankful to Jonny Wilkinson for the work he has done with Owen Farrell and George Ford. He’s been superb. Owen’s been absolutely terrific on tour. His kicking is solar-system class … he’s absolutely outstanding.”
The head coach was less impressed with England’s defence after Australia scored five tries. “We have had two poor games in defence and one very good game. If we want to be the No1 team in the world, which we do, we need greater consistency in that. But to come here, having been training since June last year, and to win that game at the end was a fantastic effort. The players showed toughness and they were brave.”
The disappointed Wallabies coach, Michael Cheika, was critical of some of the officiating but conceded Jones had made England significantly stronger. “He’s obviously added some starch to the team, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “They have had a good reaction to him and worked hard. They haven’t lost a game since he has been in charge so you can’t really say anything, can you? It’s been plain sailing.”
While Cheika braces himself for a local backlash – “There will be plenty of people looking to put the boot in but I’m ready for that” – Jones will be reflecting on a “fantastic series” that has propelled England to second place in the world rankings. “There were weaknesses in the Australian side that we identified and we thought we could get them in certain areas. We did that to some extent so the possibility of us winning 3-0 was strong.
“It’s been a great tour and it’s been fantastic for rugby … it’s been a pleasure to be here. Being an Australian, I’m always grateful for what Australia have done for me but it’s certainly nice beating them 3-0.”
