Is this too much confidence from the England head coach?
England’s Grand Slam dream is still alive after they recorded a last-gasp victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium in what was an incredibly engrossing and physical Test match.
Jones will be incredibly proud of his side as they showed true grit and desire to keep going until the final moments, which ultimately led to them securing the match winning try through Elliot Daly in the 76th minute.
Wales would have been kicking themselves for their exit strategy in the build up to England’s winning try.
They kicked straight down the throat of the England back three.
A quick, sweeping counter attack ensued and it proved disastrous for Wales who couldn’t get their defence set in time.
Of course, it was an incredible end to a Test match and people were quick to point out the exciting nature of the finish.
Bundee Aki couldn't believe it! https://t.co/TlUwXW1qJO
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 11, 2017
After successfully negotiating two very difficult matches against France and Wales, Jones can look forward to welcoming Conor O’Shea’s Italy to Twickenham in two weeks time.
Jones was speaking to the BBC in the aftermath of his side’s victory and he spoke about what he had planned for his team over the next two weeks.
When quizzed on whether England are well placed for the rest of the championship, Jones had this to say:
“We got a weeks training in central London next week, so we’ll train hard and do a few different things for the boys.Â
You know, we’ll be right for a week’s preparation against Italy and you know, it’s a big game for us because we want to put them to the cleaners.”Â
Queue awkward laughter from the BBC interviewer.
Not sure what to make of Jones' comments about wanting to put Italy "to the cleaners" #sixnations #SixNationsRugby https://t.co/RvT3tF93Gg
— Seán McMahon (@Sean_McMahon89) February 11, 2017
Now this is something which we don’t see too often in modern elite sport. Most of the time, coaches and management or so well trained in their media duties that they rarely emit anything controversial, let alone such disdain for one’s opponent.
Jones is right though, after seeing Ireland put up a score against Italy this weekend, then England will have to do the same.
But the question remains, does Jones take this a bit too far in terms of his honesty?
We can’t imagine Joe Schmidt or any of the other Six Nations coaches coming out with a line like that.
One thing is for sure, this comment will not go unnoticed by the Italian staff and players, especially head coach O’Shea.
