Payto & Panda: Eddie Jones already plotting Wallabies downfall

WITH the Grand Slam within their grasp, you could forgive Michael Cheika for thinking England is solely focused on the rare feat. But the Wallaby coach is wrong.

BAGSHOT, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Eddie Jones, head coach of England looks on during a press conference at Pennyhill Park on March 14, 2016 in Bagshot, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

THEY were embarrassingly booted out of their own World Cup just six months ago but Eddie Jones has given England their “swagger” back, according to Michael Cheika.

The Wallabies coach saw first-hand at Twickenham last weekend just how much Jones’ appointment has restored pride in the Red Rose, with England beating Wales to secure a fourth straight victory and ultimately the Six Nations title as well.

Jones’ side will take on France in Paris this weekend to try and claim their first Grand Slam since 2003.

Asked if Jones had changed England from the team he beat last year with the Wallabies, Cheika said from Paris: “Definitely, of course. They last won the Grand Slam in 2003 I think so that’s a change in itself. They have a lot of their mojo back and you can see the swagger.

“First up is the Grand Slam, it is a big opportunity for a Grand Slam in Paris. They haven’t won many of them. It’s difficult, so it would be a great achievement.

They won’t be thinking about us yet at all, I’d imagine.”

But that’s where you are wrong, Mr Cheika.

Jones had, in fact, issued some spiky comments earlier in the day about what it took to beat the Wallabies and referenced the most infamous English tourists to Australia in sporting history.

“We’ve got to take a side down there to play Bodyline,” said Jones, referring to the 1932-33 Ashes series. “If we’re going to beat Australia in Australia, we’ve got to have a completely physical, aggressive team.”

Eddie Jones is plotting world domination.

Cheika laughed when Jones’ quotes were relayed but restrained from channelling his inner Bill Woodful for a colourful retort.

“Eddie knows his craft,” Cheika said.

“He will get them in the right position, no doubt about it.”

The Wallabies and England play a three-Test series in June but here’s a tip for the ARU: put Cheika and Jones in a room together and sell tickets to a “fourth Test”.

It’d rake in the cash.

WINTERSTEIN SETS SIGHTS ON RIO

FORMER NRL Bulldogs centre Frank Winterstein has been signed by the Australian sevens squad and will set his sights on making the Rio Olympics.

Winterstein, the older brother of Cowboys star Antonio Winterstein, played the majority of his league career in England and for Samoa, but caught the eye of coach Andy Friend after switching codes and playing for the Kinetsu Liners in Japan.

Next week will also see former Wallaby wing Nick Cummins join the Aussie sevens program at Narrabeen.

The Honey Badger was a high-profile signing for the Olympic sevens campaign but the question must be asked: has Cummins left his run too late?

The Aussie mens sevens team have been superb so far this year, making the final in Sydney and Las Vegas, and beating Fiji to come third in Vancouver. Young flyer Henry Hutchison has been one of the team’s best on the wing.

The side will play next in the iconic Hong Kong tournament on April 8, and after a rotation policy, Friend is likely to send his strongest 12. Cummins, you’d imagine, won’t be in that and after that, there are only three tournaments left in the season.

SHUTE SHIELD IS BACK ... NOT THAT YOU’D KNOW IT!

THIS weekend will see the best club rugby players in Sydney get back into action, with round one of the Shute Shield to kick off.

Not that you’d know about it.

For the second year in a row the NSWRU didn’t send out an alert to media that the Shute Shield launch was on earlier this week, or that the captains of the clubs would be posing for a photo down by Sydney Harbour.

Needless to say, the picture didn’t get much airtime.

The survival of club rugby has been a hot topic in recent times and the NSWRU’s role in running the competition has been lost on many.

When money is so tight, there are plenty of people questioning why a senior executive elected to sign a ten-year contract that sees the NSWRU pay $300,000 a year to have the Shute Shield shown on Channel Seven’s digital channel.

The argument is that clubs can hit their sponsors up for more money given it is on free-to-air TV but in a world where even minor sports can earn revenue from broadcasting rights on digital channels, the long-term, $3 million expenditure seems totally upside down.

Kiwi Andrew Hore will take over as the new combined NSWRU/Waratahs chief executive next month. Long-serving NSWRU executive director Bruce Worboys resigned his post this week.

FUNNY MEN ON A HIGH

THE Highlanders are not only the Super Rugby champions, but they’re also the funniest team in the competition.

If you haven’t seen their “Highlanders TV” YouTube videos then give yourself a spare hour this weekend to have a good chuckle.

Interestingly, that humour played a big part in how the underrated side managed to shock their rivals last year to win the premiership.

It was quite bizarre to see the players so relaxed and jovial in Sydney prior to beating NSW in the semi-final, and it reminded us of how Michael Cheika had brought a similar vibe to the Tahs when they won in 2014.

“Everyone talks about character, and what is character, people talk about guys doing the right thing and being good guys, good role models, but characters are just as important,” Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph told us.

“I played in a team full of characters in Otago, guys like Marc Ellis always looking for a bit of banter and something to take the piss out of, and that’s a dynamic within a team that is very hard to buy.

“It is natural, and you can see it our team.

“We’ve got guys who write songs about their teammates and sing it online, they make videos.

“The humour is often hard to understand, we’ve got supporters who travel with us and they’re just students who say speeches, it’s a part of who we are mate.”

TPN THE MOTIVATOR

TPN with western Sydney’s under-17s team.

HE might be nursing a broken wrist, but that didn’t stop Tatafu Polota-Nau from penning a motivational letter to each player of western Sydney’s all-conquering under-17s team.

The Met West side are undefeated in the national Junior Gold Cup this season and play ACT in the semi-final on Sunday (2pm) at Eastwood’s TG Millner Field, with the winner to face Brisbane in the final.

Met West don’t have a fixed home ground, playing in Canterbury, Lane Cove and Rockdale, but they’re a talented and determined group and Parramatta boy Polota-Nau was keen to show his support at a training session on Wednesday.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

WELL done to big Waratah lock Will Skelton, who has helped arrange for a shipment of surplus ARU clothing and training gear to go to cyclone-devastated Fiji. Some of Skelton’s friends, who have family in Fiji, are collecting donations of money, household items, clothing toiletries and non-perishable food and will ship it over to help communities who lost everything in the natural disaster.

If you’d like to contribute, go to www.gofundme.com/jhsjkfzh, or search “Help Fiji by Josephine Telea” on GoFundme.

DREW’S GUINNESS TILT

HE fell just short of becoming a world champion so Drew Mitchell has decided to become a world record holder instead.

Mitchell attempted to break eight world records recently and SkySports in the UK were on hand in Toulon to film each one. They’ve rolled out two failed attempts on their social media channels so far: most socks put on in one minutes, and most pairs of socks in 30 seconds.

Mitchell tweeted last year he was considering a crack at the 100 metre sprint world record - in clogs. Keep an eye out on @skysportsrugby to see whether he will be going in the Guinness World Book of Records.

SACRÉ BLEU

IS there a World Record for giving a spray? Mitchell had some interesting comments on Phillipe Sant Andre, the former France and Toulon coach who said this week that all the foreigners in the Top 14 are ruining the French national side.

“I found his comments a little bizarre,” Mitchell told our FoxSports colleague Nick McArdle.

“The foreign push here and the fact there’s not that many French players. He certainly didn’t try to change that trend when he was the coach at Toulon. He was recruiting the international players.

“It was fine for him then but when his time as France’s head coach didn’t go that well he’s pointing fingers.”

MUM’S THE WORD

IF you missed the Facebook comment David Pocock’s mum out up this week we will happily run it here for you.

On their official page, the Wallabies posed this question: “David Pocock is …”

Jane Pocock replied: “My darling first born son who has a soft heart and is genuinely a wonderful son! Caring, encouraging, loving … And doesn’t mind being teased for being a “mummy’s boy” I think he’s making up for being such a challenge as a baby who didn’t seem to need much sleep and a toddler who’s first words were “NO” and “I DO IT!” #strongwilledchild #beautfulson”.

One of the best things we’ve read this year.

Originally published as Payto & Panda: Eddie Jones already plotting Wallabies downfall