Jones says England hope to "light up rugby" in Australia

Eddie Jones says he and his England charges have drawn inspiration from a recent, gripping State of Origin encounter – between Queensland & New South Wales – and aim to “light up rugby” when they face the Wallabies on Saturday in the series decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 

After losing the first Test in Perth, England managed to level the series in the second Test with a 25-17 victory. Now, as Jones alludes to, the men in white are keen to cap off the series with a powerful display. 

“It is great for rugby that we have a decider. We saw how big the decider was in State of Origin and how it has captivated fans,” Jones said. 

“We want to put on a show of a similar ilk against Australia, a really good tough game of rugby played at a historic ground and light rugby up a bit. 

“It’s whether we can find that right balance of aggression and control and being fierce and being calm. 

“This is the chance for us to even the ledger at the famous old ground [Sydney Cricket Ground]. I’ve got great memories going out and watching Souths play and watching many an Ashes Test series there. 

“I was there when John Snow knocked out Terry Jenner and there was a bit of discourse going on between the fans and John Snow. And I was watching when Ian Chappell strode on the first time as Australia captain. 

“That’s how we want to play on Saturday, like Ian Chappell did – walk on to the field, own it and play with plenty of purpose and plenty of energy. Play together. 

“I have met Ian Chappell. The way he approached his teams, building the strength of the relationships and being tough are things I always admired and I’ve tried to do with my teams. 

“Paul Williams is the referee and he’s very hard on the tackler rolling away. We feel there will be some quick ball at the start of the game that Danny can take advantage,” Jones said. 

Jones then took aim at the Australian media in terms of the hype (or lack thereof) surrounding the spectacle. 

“I’ve been disappointed in the media coverage. I’ve tried to watch the news every morning and there’s nothing on it about rugby at all. As a person who grew up with rugby here that’s disappointing,” he said. 

“We need rugby to be a strong sport and World Rugby needs Australia to be a strong rugby country. There’s always going to be a battle with NRL and AFL, we know that, but we need rugby to be a bit more prominent. 

“We’ve been doing our bit. I was at a charity lunch today (Thursday) and we’re going out to coach the communities tonight. We’re trying to build the game up – it’s a 1-1 decider. But there needs to be equal effort from the other team too.”