Eddie Jones hails ‘best in the world’ Lion and ‘enormous’ Owen Farrell impact against Wallabies
Eddie Jones hails Owen Farrell's impact for the British and Irish Lions in the second Test against the Wallabies.
What a second Test that was. I thought it was an outstanding game of footy, played with great physicality, one where we saw the green shoots of Australian improvement, but also saw great composure by the Lions to close out the match under pressure.
Clear-outs and composure
Obviously the big talking point has been the Jac Morgan clear-out; it’s disappointing that such a great match was overshadowed by a ridiculous flex by pundits and ex-players on social media over the incident.
If clear-outs like that are not allowed, then we don’t have rugby. Jac did everything right – as low as he could get, a clear wrap and a genuine attempt to stay on his feet. Andrea Piardi, a young referee, had a wonderful game all round and handled the clear-out situation calmly, logically and correctly. I was very impressed by his communication and demeanour. An outstanding performance.
I’d like to talk about the composure of the Lions and how they managed the latter part of the game. The influence and impact of Owen Farrell was enormous. He and Finn Russell worked brilliantly together to use the ball with passing width against a tiring and narrowing defence. When a D is fatigued, as the Wallabies were, it’s natural for them to narrow up under workload, and there were a couple of wonderful moments with Owen as first receiver, with Finn looping around as the second, that allowed the Lions to attack the edge with only two passes. It might not be the stuff that grabs headlines, but it’s the stuff that wins you Tests and I felt that combination was game-changing for the Lions.
The impact of the bench, together with the drop off of Wallaby physicality as both Will Skelton and Bobby Valetini went off, was telling. Ellis Genge was a battering ram that took out key primary defenders, which allowed Jamison Gibson-Park, Russell and Farrell the gaps to exploit.
JGP influence
There’s been a lot of talk about which of the Lions has been the most influential player in the series. Tom Curry is certainly in the debate – he has been massive in every aspect and his ability to win the physical battle is absolutely key for the Lions. Alongside him, Tadhg Beirne has been tireless in his support work – Tom opens the tin and Tadhg grabs the contents is the way I see it, and as any great flank partnership is, they work with contrasting and complementary skills, a real balance of back-row excellence.
But for me, the man who has been the standout is Gibson-Park at half-back. I believe he’s the best nine in the world right now, despite the claims of some very good French players. He’s the catalyst of everything the Lions have done well – his selection of pass is exceptional and his ability to get positive outcomes, sometimes against wall of defence, has defined the Lions wins. Key to this are his one-pass plays, a real feature of his game. We are in a golden era of nines right now – France have four world-class players in Maxime Lucu, Baptiste Serin, Nolann Le Garrec and of course, Antoine Dupont; South Africa have the electric Grant Williams. England has Alex Mitchell, Wales have Tomos Williams, Scotland with Ben White and New Zealand have a couple of young ballers coming through, but for me, Gibson-Park is the best of the lot. I’d also single out his physicality – how often do you see a half-back counter rucking? It’s something he does without thought, underlining his completeness as a rugby player and his grit as a competitor.
All to play for
I have been in the situation Andy Farrell is right now, in 2016 when England won 3-0 in Australia. It’s key that the Lions cut out all thoughts of the two previous games and they treat this as a winner takes all knockout match – so there’s all to play for in my eyes.
For Andy, it’ll all be about the pride of the Lions and the chance to be unbeaten on tour – a rarity. For Joe Schmidt, it’s an opportunity to take something out of this series, although I’d argue that the Wallabies have made massive strides in the last 12 months and are building a better team. It’s the old argument about performance v results, and I’ve seen enough in terms of performance improvement to know that the Wallabies will build on this, create greater depth, and go into hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup in a good place in terms of their cycle.
To get that win for the Wallabies, it will be key for the big guys to go deep. Skelton made a huge difference last week, and it was obvious to me that the Lions both feared and respected him. They need the physical focal point he offers, for as long as possible, and if he goes 65 or 70 then it might just make the difference.
I think this Test will be freer in terms of its approach and I expect to see some really committed and physical footy – the recipe won’t change in terms of the match shape, but it will be an intense and abrasive match, one that will also be catalysed by some of the comments in the lead up.
Gower and Gooch
In closing, I wanted to pay tribute to two outstanding players that I have worked with in my career – Matt Burke and Richard Hill, both announced as worthy inductees into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame.
Burke was a Rolls-Royce player. If he was a cricketer he’d be David Gower; he had perfect timing, was wonderful on the eye, an absolute thoroughbred. He was often the catalyst for Wallaby attacking, never flustered, with great feet and sidestepping ability. He ran wonderful lines into the attacking shape, often popping up as the extra distributor in the backline and was a key player during a period of dominance for Australia.
Hilly was someone I got to know very well later in life – firstly at Saracens when I worked there in 2006/07 and latterly, when he became my Team Manager for England, something he still does for Steve Borthwick.
If Matt was Gower, then Hilly was Graham Gooch, the ultimate artisan, the man who did the muck and bullets stuff, selflessly taking on the physical for his team with stoicism and not a concern for his own well being. His breakdown work was peerless, and defined by accuracy. And in attack, young Hill had gas to burn, as evidenced by his try-scoring record for club and country. When he was injured in 2006, I have never seen a man work as hard as he did to try and come back, and when he came into the England set up with me, that work ethic was obvious post retirement – a perfect team man.
I don’t like making comparisons as to ‘the best’ across positions – how can you compare a flanker to a fly-half? But safe to say that Richard was amongst England’s most important players ever – a top-tier world-class performer, just like Matt was for the Wallabies – and I’m delighted that both men have been so deservedly recognised for their immense contribution to the sport.