Rugby World Cup 2019 | Off-field distractions disguise winner-takes-all Ashes coach battle

It’s the Ashes battle the World wanted to see but despite a week of conspiracies and distraction, the coaches have a lot riding on the game.

Cheika and Jones know the importance of the weekend’s match.

As Australia and England prepare to face off in the first Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, both coaches have proven to be masters of deflection.

Sledges and barbs thrown at each other and respectful concessions show the pair’s 30-year-old rivalry is still running hot in what could be their final meeting.

There was even a conspiracy theory that has been a masterful act of deflection as Eddie Jones welcomed Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart in the England camp.

With Kayo, fans can instantly stream every match of the Rugby World Cup, plus over 50 other sports, live and on demand from just $25 per month.

Stuart joined the camp as part of their preparations this week with Jones having a history of bringing NRL coaches into camp.

While it raised eyebrows in the Australian camp with Wallabies coach Cheika describing it as “weird”, the English coach brushed it off.

“Well that’s a lovely story you’ve cooked up,” Jones said.

“Ricky and I are old mates, we’ve known each other for a long time. He presented jerseys to the Wallabies during my time as a Wallaby coach, I’ve known his strength and condition coach (former Saracens trainer Nigel Ashley-Jones) since 2007 and he wanted to come over and have a look at what we’re doing and it’s as simple as that.

“It’s an exchange of ideas and I was just telling Owen (Farrell) last night we stayed up until about 9pm picking Ricky’s brains. I know you guys can get excited about it, so get excited because there’s not much of a story there guys. It’s just an exchange of ideas. We do it all the time.”

Is this the end of a long rivalry?

Previously Jones has had the likes of Craig Bellamy, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane join camps.

But on the eve of the all important clash, Jones has not missed the opportunity to remind Australia that it was sudden death.

“You see those hills at the back of us? That’s where all the samurais lived. Every time the samurais fought, one lived and one died,” Jones said. “It will be the same on Saturday; someone is going to live and someone is going to die.”

While not the equivalent of death, both coaches will be playing for their international rugby coaching lives.

Cheika has long said that he would resign if Australia don’t win the World Cup and Jones could be the mastermind to end his Wallabies tenure.

Jones has a longer term deal with England but his contract is also dependent on the result from the World Cup with a quarterfinal exit likely to see him on the chopping block.

While it has been fairly amicable between the coaches this week, there is no doubting the history between the pair.

Jones enjoys stirring the pot.

Jones is fond of pre-match verbal taunts that have led to suggestions he could “sledge” for Australia and he has often appeared to have wound up his counterpart deliberately before a Test.

And it’s worked in the past — Jones holds a six-game winning streak as the England coach against Cheika’s Wallabies.

But the pair both had a long association with Randwick having been teammates at the club in the past.

Maybe that was why Jones club icon Jeff Sayle, who died last month aged 77, with Jones offering an olive branch ahead of the match.

“They are a great tournament side. I think ‘Cheik’ has done a really good job,” he said. “I’m proud of the job he does.

“He’s a good old mate of mine and there will be a bloke in the sky (Sayle) who will be quite excited about Michael and I coaching against each other this week. I’m sure he’s having a few beers next to St Peter now looking at the situation.”

Cheika said Jones had done a good job with England but also reminded him of where he came from.

“It always hurts me when there’s an Aussie over there, you know what I mean? (England’s Australian cricket coach) Trevor Bayliss and Eddie and, I don’t know, (Great Britain rugby league coach) Wayne Bennett. You want them at home but it is what it is. What do you do?”

Michael Cheika hits back at Jones sledging.

Jones also hit back turned his attention on Cheika’s selections with 19-year-old Jordan Petaia the big gamble for the Aussie coach.

“I’ve seen enough of him to know he can play a bit but it’s going to be a big occasion for the boy,” Jones said.

“He’s playing a quarter-final in front of 40,000 people in Oita where you know that you don’t get another day.

“This is the day, and for a young player you can either rise to the occasion or you can find it difficult.”

— with AAP and AFP