England coach Eddie Jones concedes he is missing the tit-for-tat exchanges of old with former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika leading up to this year’s test series against Australia.
The pair were infamous for their war of words in the media the last time England came Down Under in 2016.
In that instance, Cheika’s side was left to lick its wounds courtesy of a three-nil whitewash on home soil.
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After the Jones-led squad vanquished the Wallabies in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Cheika was told to pack his bags.
Since then, Dave Rennie has taken the mantle. Gone are the fiery press conferences, the new coach much drier in his Steve Hansen-like demeanour.
For Jones, the absence of any smack talk has taken the wind out of his sails leading up to the opening game of the three-match affair.
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“In 2016 we had Cheika here and there was a bit of niggle – it was good, good Australian sport,” Jones said ahead of the opening clash at Optus Stadium.
“This time it feels like … I don’t know what it feels like. I prefer it like that, but you can’t spar against nothing.
“I like a bit of fun. When you’re sparring in a corner by yourself it’s not much fun.”
On Thursday, Rennie was prodded about his approach to the build-up.
“Can’t you see I am excited?” Rennie joked, with an expressionless face.
Although he admitted to missing the pre-series slanging matches, Jones hasn’t been one to throw any barbs in Rennie’s direction.
“He probably has the same mindset as me, it is not about us, it is about the players and we will let them do the talking,” the former Chiefs coach said.
Although there’s been no niggle between coaches, Jones has had to deal with some drama within the England team.
This week’s squad announcement came with confirmation that Owen Farrell would not captain the side, that honour instead went the way of Courtney Lawes.
Asked how Farrell had reacted to the news, Jones said the veteran was “very unhappy” with the decision.
Jones later expanded on the call while speaking with Sky Sports.
“I personally thought Courtney did a great job during the Six Nations, and with Owen being out for a fair period of time we wanted him to really concentrate on his game and we want him to be the best player he can be,” Jones explained.
“We thought for this tour, that’s the right situation. He wants to be captain. He thinks he’s the best captain. At this stage, I’ve made a decision the other way.
“We had a good chat about it and I would’ve been disappointed if he wasn’t so angry about it, which is good.
“There’s no reason why he can’t [be captain in the future], but the big job for him now is to play three good, hard tests and play at his best.”
Play at Optus Stadium between the Wallabies and England gets underway at 19:55 AEST on Saturday.
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