The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

The Cheika and Jones battle will be better than the game

28th November, 2016
Advertisement
If Michael Cheika goes head to head with the Super Rugby coaches, who wins? (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
28th November, 2016
131
2820 Reads

Michael Cheika and Eddie Jones are kindred spirits. They are either lunatics, or visionaries.

It’s the latter in my book, but there will be many thousands at Twickenham early Sunday morning AEST our time who will be keeping an eye on the two national coaches and their reactions, while television cameras won’t be far away either.

The two Aussies come from foreign backgrounds, Cheika’s Lebanese, Jones with a Japanese-American mother. Both played many times for the Galloping Greens at Randwick, both played for NSW, both missed Wallaby selection even though both deserved the chance.

Both have coached Randwick, Jones is a former Wallaby coach, Cheika the current, and both have taken the Wallabies to losing Rugby World Cup finals.

There’s seven years the difference in age – Jones is 56, Cheika 49 – but plenty of difference in their track records internationally this year – Jones with 12 wins from 12 for England, Cheika just six wins from 14.

Chalk and cheese, especially the three from three for England over the Wallabies last June Down Under.

Cheika was strangely quiet during that series, which was very uncharacteristic.

Both Cheika and Jones have another trait in common, they will never die wondering.

Advertisement

Now we are up-to-date with Cheika having a crack at his old time teammate criticising him for tarnishing his legacy as a former Wallaby coach.

This is where Cheika and Jones are very different.

Jones, by his very nature, is a cheeky bugger, he will stop at nothing to get under an opposition coach or player’s skin, anything to rattle their cage.

No greater example than the Rugby World Cup last year when the Jones-coached Japan beat the Boks for the first time in history with a sensational try in the corner in extra time.

The moment Japan defeated the Springboks

It brought the house down, Eddie the Eagle had landed again big time.

So what will happen this weekend?

Advertisement

Cheika’s likely to lose champion halfback Will Genia to Stade Francais as the November window has gone, and that will be critical.

Even though Nick Phipps has improved of late, he will never be a Genia.

Dean Mumm has a disciplinary meeting to attend for his spear tackle in the Ireland loss, and if he doesn’t cop a week, Cheika should sideline him to end his career in gold.

Lopeti Timani should never ever be left out again.

And what of England, having scored 42 tries to 22 on the Jones watch?

Not since the halcyon days of Clive Woodward’s coaching in 2003 has England scored so many tries.

England won their only Rugby World Cup that year beating Jones’ Wallabies 20-17 in extra time in the final, winning 17 of 18 games en route, scoring 79 tries to just 17.

Advertisement

Woodward was knighted.

Jones hasn’t beaten the All Blacks yet, but if he does, will it be Sir Eddie Jones?

Then we’ll see the all-time high cheeky bugger.

close