England coach Eddie Jones has dismissed compliments from Steve Hansen, by comparing the All Blacks boss to the wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale.
England thumped Scotland 61-21 at Twickenham on Saturday to retain the Six Nations title and by doing so they equalled New Zealand’s tier-one record of 18 consecutive Test wins.
Hansen was one of the first people to congratulate Jones and the entire England team on their achievement. Jones, however, believes his Kiwi counterpart has a hidden agenda, saying he is wary of any compliments coming from Hansen.
‘You always have to be careful when All Blacks coaches compliment you, you always have to be careful,’ said Jones. ‘It’s a bit like Red Riding Hood and the wolf when the wolf comes dressed up as the grandmother.’
England will have an opportunity to claim a second successive Six Nations Grand Slam and the chance to surpass the All Blacks’ record if they can beat Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. But Jones is wary of the Irish, who prevented England from claiming a Grand Slam in 2011 and coincidently also ended New Zealand’s 18-Test winning streak in November last year.
‘How many opportunities in your life do you get to beat Ireland in Ireland to win back-to-back Grand Slams? It’s almost a childhood dream as a rugby player.
‘History shows that winning back-to-back Grand Slams happens once every 27 years. None of these players is going to be playing in 27 years so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
‘Failure is all relative, but we want to be back-to-back Grand Slams champions. We just have to try and play good rugby.’
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
