Jones ready for heavyweight clash
England head coach Eddie Jones is expecting a heavyweight clash when his side face New Zealand on Saturday (KO 9am, ITV).
Jones’ side take on Rugby World Cup champions New Zealand in the semi-final of the tournament and he is expecting quite the tussle in Yokohama at the weekend.
“It's going to be a great game - two heavyweights. One dressed in black, one dressed in white,” said Jones.
He has pre-identified two key periods of Saturday’s game for his side to focus on and says it dictated selection for the clash.
He has also urged England’s fans to be at their very best at the weekend, explaining how much of a difference their support makes.
“With these games it’s never a knockout,” he said. “The first 20 minutes both sides will test each other. The All Blacks traditionally score their points in the second 20 minutes of each half and the most crucial part of this game is going to be the second part of the second half- that is where the game is going to be won and lost. We have been even more diligent in selecting our team to take that into consideration.”
He added: “You saw in the football and cricket World Cup how much the English public get behind their team and we are feeling that here. Our supporters on Saturday have got a big job. They are probably going to be outnumbered so they have to be at their most vocal.“
Jones has also urged his players to take the chance to end years of New Zealand dominance and move that bit closer to lifting rugby’s showpiece tournament, reiterating his belief in the squad.
“We have the opportunity to knock New Zealand off their perch,” he said. “In rugby the team you want to knock off is New Zealand because they have been the best and the only reason to be involved in this game is to be the best. We have the opportunity to make history on Saturday and the whole squad is excited about that.
“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think we could be the best in the world. We are not the best in the world, but we have got a chance on Saturday to go one step closer.”
He added: “Most people think New Zealand will win. But we have 31 players and 20 members of staff who think we can do it.”
