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Eddie Jones: 'If I was Wayne Pivac, I'd go to a blackjack table and have a bit of a go'
By PA
England head coach Eddie Jones was magnanimous in the face of his side's crucial 40 - 24 Guinness Six Nations defeat to Wales at the Principality Stadium, branding Wayne Pivac's side 'worthy winners'.
England conceded 14 penalties to Wales' nine, while match referee Paul Gauzere awarded two hotly contested tries, but Jones' refused to blame the official.
“It is what it is,” he said on BBC One after the final whistle. “We can’t argue with the referee, the result is there in stone, and we have to accept it.
“Maybe they were tough calls, but we have to be good enough to get out of it.”
Jones added England had little option now but to “accept the referee’s decision”.
He said: “It could have been tough, but we have just got to ride with it and be good enough to handle it.”
The England head coach added: “We were not good enough on the day, we might have had some tough calls, but we have to be able to adapt to the game and to the referee.
“If the referee is going to referee like that, we have got to be able to adapt to it.”
Jones paid tribute to Wales as “worthy winners”. “I was really pleased with the way we fought back, got ourselves back to 24-all.
“Probably the last play summed up our day – we do some lovely attacking work, get to a final pass, they intercept and score down the other end.
“That is the difference of the game.”
On England’s penalty count, Jones said: “I think we are probably trying too hard. I thought the effort today was outstanding.
“It was a difficult game for us, given what happened. We have to be able to adapt to those emotional disruptions. It is a good lesson for us.”
He did have time to suggest that the Pivac and his Welsh players got the rub of the green in the match.
"If I was Wayne Pivac, I'd go to a blackjack table and have a bit of a go," he quipped.
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Latest Comments
Does anyone know a way to loook at how many mins each player has played whilst on tour?
Go to commentsIt certainly needs to be cherished. Despite Nick (and you) highlighting their usefulness for teams like Australia (and obviously those in France they find form with) I (mention it general in those articles) say that I fear the game is just not setup in Aus and NZ to appreciate nor maximise their strengths. The French game should continue to be the destination of the biggest and most gifted athletes but it might improve elsewhere too.
I just have an idea it needs a whole team focus to make work. I also have an idea what the opposite applies with players in general. I feel like French backs and halves can be very small and quick, were as here everyone is made to fit in a model physique. Louis was some 10 and 20 kg smaller that his opposition and we just do not have that time of player in our game anymore. I'm dying out for a fast wing to appear on the All Blacks radar.
But I, and my thoughts on body size in particular, could be part of the same indoctrination that goes on with player physiques by the establishment in my parts (country).
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