Jones up and running as Wallabies arrive

By WYNNE GRAY

Eddie Jones did not disappoint. Soon after the Wallabies landed in Wellington yesterday he accused the All Blacks of all sorts of illegalities and urged Bledisloe Cup referee Alain Rolland to intervene.

It was typical fare from the Wallaby coach, who likes to lift the pressure and divert attention from his side on the eve of major matches.

Jones charged the All Black forwards with illegal tactics at rucks and mauls, manoeuvres he claimed caused the violence in their first test at Carisbrook against England.

"There are similarities in the way the All Blacks play and how the Waikato Chiefs performed this year during the Super 12," he said.

"Guys such as Gibbes, Robinson and Holah are very adept at taking the No 1 defender out of the ruck and then getting Marshall or the forwards to pick and go in that area.

"The problem in the New Zealand-England test . . . was because players were being taken out off the ball.

"That is certainly something we will be asking the referee to have a close look at.

"Stu Dickinson did a very good job on Saturday night. He penalised Robinson once for taking a player out in front of the ball.

"We're hoping the referee will deal with it. If he doesn't deal with it, then we will have to. We will just have to deal with it as legally as we can.

"England resorted to fisticuffs. We are certainly not going to indulge in that sort of play, but we are not going to let our No 1 defenders be taken out of the way to allow their guys to run through."

He continued the strange household analogy when asked about the All Blacks seeking revenge for last year's defeat by the Wallabies in the World Cup.

"New Zealand have had a long time on the couch, giving them a long time to think about that semifinal and a long time to work out what went wrong. There is a fair bit of expectation out there about New Zealand."