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England head coach Eddie Jones accused of “playing games” and throwing “bombs on the wall” before Ireland clash; England will face Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday in the crucial Group A encounter at the Fall Nations Cup.
Last update: 11/21/20 8:20 am
Eddie Jones has been accused of playing mind games before Ireland’s game at Twickenham
England’s head coach Eddie Jones has been accused of “playing games” and throwing “bombs on the wall” ahead of Saturday’s Fall Nations Cup showdown with Ireland.
Jones tried to unsettle his rivals by questioning prop Andrew Porter’s scrum technique and making amusing comments about the number of foreign-born players on Andy Farrell’s team.
Ireland’s kicking coach Richie Murphy has grown accustomed to the Australian’s psychological blows and while he considers them worthy of little consideration, he believes Porter’s comments are an admiration sign.
England coach Jones has questioned Andrew Porter’s scrum technique
“I think Eddie Jones is just playing in that situation. Obviously, he thinks Porter is a very good player, and he is,” Murphy said.
“No one has come to us and commented on Porter’s scrum technique, so we have no problems, we have not received any comments from World Rugby in relation to what he does, so it is just one of those games.
“He (Jones) seems to like to throw some little bombs on the wall. We don’t focus on any of that.
“We know what we need to control and what we can control. We just keep going.”
Richie Murphy has defended the Irish national team against England
Porter gave Wales a torrid moment in the scrum during a resounding 32-9 victory in the tournament’s first round.
However, Jones has doubts about the Leinster player’s approach, describing it as “unusual” and suggesting that French referee Pascal Gauzere could be called in to intervene at Twickenham.
England’s boss also mischievously referred to Ireland as the ‘United Nations’ because eight of his 23 men – Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, CJ Stander, Quinn Roux, Rob Herring, Finlay Bealham and Billy Burns – Praised from abroad.
Murphy feels there is no need for Ireland’s coaching staff to justify these selections and is convinced that diversity does not cause division within the camp.
0:43 England head coach Eddie Jones says Saturday’s Fall Nations Cup game against Ireland is the biggest game of the year.
“To be honest, we think of all of our players as Irish. They have been to the country, they are members of their local communities, and we move on,” Murphy said.
“When the guys come in and play for Ireland, they are in a situation where they are more than happy to do that and they take on the challenge like they were anybody else.
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“I can’t say how they really feel but, from the coach’s point of view, they fit very well in the group and are taking us forward.
“There is no ‘us and them’, it is Ireland as a team, including the management.”
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