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MARSEILLE - Australian rugby chief John O'Neill has accused the British media of using his "we all hate England" quotes mischievously in a bid to fire up the old enemy for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against the Wallabies.
O'Neill today scoffed at claims that his throwaway line earlier in the tournament had contributed to Australia's shock 12-10 loss to England in Marseille.
Rather than apologise to the Wallabies, who felt his ill-timed sledge 10 days before their quarter-final grudge match did them no favours, O'Neill went on the attack.
"They were fired up anyway," he told reporters as the Wallabies were packing their bags for an unscheduled departure from France.
"And those comments have been absolutely exaggerated beyond all belief.
"The fact is, I was asked a question for our own (ARU) website who was going to win between England and Tonga and I said it would be good to think Tonga might win, but I think England probably will.
"The reporter said 'so it's the old enemy again?' and I said 'well, whether it's rugby league, rugby union or cricket, we all hate England'.
"I mean, in that context, to get two weeks in the UK media ... we all know I was talking about a sporting contest and the word 'hate' in a sporting contest is just a natural description.
"So it's like calling them the old enemy. Is that an insult?"
Much was made of O'Neill's comments before Saturday's game and several English players, including veterans Mike Catt, Lawrence Dallaglio and skipper Phil Vickery, said afterwards that his spray had indeed added to the team's motivation.
Coach John Connolly said the comments "didn't help" the Wallabies, while former England centre Jeremy Guscott has wasted no time sticking the boot into O'Neill.
"All the guff from John O'Neill, the Australian Rugby Union chief executive, backfired in the biggest way possible because it simply inspired not only this English team, but all Englishmen everywhere, to ram the words of hate down his throat," Guscott wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper.
"Interestingly, my comments didn't get a run at home," O'Neill said. "They got a massive run in the UK.
"So, to the extent that the English media have used it, that's their prerogative.
"I don't think it had any effect on yesterday's game. We just didn't play to our ability.
"If we'd played to our ability, we would have won."
- AAP
