Rugby: All Blacks are a 'high-infringing team' says England coach Eddie Jones

England coach Eddie Jones. Photo / Photosport

England coach Eddie Jones has called the All Blacks a "high-infringing" team and accused former captain Richie McCaw of "playing on the edge" of the rules.

Jones' comments came in an interview with the Telegraph where he expressed concerns about refereeing ahead of the Six Nations championship, which starts next weekend.

The England coach was asked about his side's disciplinary record in the 2017 championship where they averaged nine penalties and free kicks per match.

"It's not the number of penalties," Jones told the Telegraph.

"If you look at New Zealand, they are a high-infringing team. It's where you give away the penalties and how you give away the penalties.

"We're working on that all the time. We get the best referees in England to come in. Wayne Barnes works with us consistently in that area. And it's the adaption from domestic rugby to international rugby that is the most important thing, that they understand there are significant differences in the way the domestic game is refereed compared to the international game."

Jones claimed former All Black skipper Richie McCaw, who he called one of the best players in the last 20 years, played "on the edge" of the game.

"No one tries to give away a penalty but everyone plays the game on the edge. It's about what side of the edge you go. Look at one of the best players ever seen in the last 20 years - Richie McCaw.

"He played the game completely on the edge and he was bloody good at doing it. If our players are over the edge, they have to get better at playing on the edge."

Jones also said mauls and scrums needed to be tidied up, and urged referees to protect the integrity of the scrum or it could become like "rugby league lineouts".

"I think there has been a laxing off in terms of the maul defence. It has got ridiculously in favour of the maul defence rather than the maul attack and there needs to be a balance redress.

"You see a driving maul now and you see a defender out the back. Now how can he come through the middle of a driving maul and be at the back? It's impossible.

"So that needs to be fixed up, and we need parity in the scrum feed."

"It is such an important part of game. You take the scrum out of our game and what do we have? Rugby league with lineouts. We need the scrum in the game."

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