Eddie Jones tells his England stars ahead of third Test with Australia: Don’t believe the hype
Red Rose coach fires warning as he eyes whitewash Down Under after stunning double win over Wallabies
EDDIE JONES has warned his England stars they will be axed if they show any signs of getting carried away.
The Red Rose boss believes his players’ egos are the biggest threat to their hopes of a 3-0 whitewash in Australia.
Jones urged his Six Nations Grand Slam aces to continue to stay humble and not get big-headed with all the rave-reviews and headlines after eight straight wins.
The Aussie said: “If they allow themselves to become weak through praise, or allow themselves to think what people are saying is true, they won’t be in the team.
“It comes down to the mental strength and desire of the player to want to be part of the England side.
“When you’ve had a couple of wins praise can make you weak.
“We’ve got to be very careful that all the praise we’re getting doesn’t make us weak.
“If you become weak once, you can become weak twice.
“And to be a champion team you can’t be like that.
“The players have got to work hard to stay in the team.
“I remember having a discussion with Kyran Bracken when I first went to Sarries.
“I asked him why England were so successful under Clive Woodward and he said one of the reasons was because there was such competition for places.
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“They used to have to go for training sessions. You would ring up and say, ‘Clive, I’m sorry I can’t come to training this week as something’s wrong at home’.
“He would say, ‘that’s fine but don’t expect to be in the squad’.
“That’s what the environment was as it made people desperate to be in the team.
“That’s what we’re trying to create here. It’s a privilege to play for your country, it’s the greatest honour you can have.
“Outside praise is dangerous for a team and they’ve been getting a lot of it. We’ve just got to be careful.”
Jones also had a message for those who missed out on the match-day squads for the two wins over the Wallabies.
He did not pick Premiership Player of the Year Alex Goode, Exeter Chiefs star Henry Slade, rugby league convert Ben Te’o and rookie props Kyle Sinckler and Ellis Genge.
Jones said: “They’ve just got to work harder on the areas they’re not good enough in.
“Some of the players are saying what they enjoy about the environment now is it’s very aspirational.
“You have to work hard to get a jersey and players don’t want to give their jersey away.
“We train tough. If you don’t come up to the standards you’re going to feel left out.”
And hardman Jones, 56, says he will continue to demand even MORE from his stars.
He added: “We want them to work harder.
“There are no free caps. Just because we have won the series 2-0, it doesn’t mean they deserve another cap. We are giving them concrete plans on where they have to improve and it’s up to them.”
Northampton flanker Teimana Harrison is the only change as he is set to replace the injured James Haskell in the final Test tomorrow.
Jones added: “The attitude and the physical appearance of the players definitely persuaded me to stick.
“They were all keen to play, ready to play, all their well-being and data is good. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to beat Australia 3-0.
“You’ve got to remember that when we came to Australia, they tried to humiliate us — the TV promo and various sorts of things.
“They said it was a joke that we even considered winning the series. All the smart guys in the papers were saying 3-0.
“Now they’re not so smart.”
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