Eddie Jones wants Ben Te'o to lead the line as England plan spot of 'fox-hunting' in Rome
The recall of Te’o gives Jones the big ball carrier he has craved in midfield ever since he took over after the 2015 World Cup
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Your support makes all the difference.Eddie Jones’ England failed to catch the Italian fox at Twickenham last year but the head coach wants them to put on a display of blood sports in Rome on Sunday, headed up by the recalled centre Ben Te’o.
Te’o was the headline addition to Jones’ team as the Worcester man has not played since 14 October because of an ankle injury but has forced his way ahead of Jonathan Joseph for this weekend’s opener.
England were frustrated by Italy’s non-rucking tactics in last year’s Six Nations - a ruse that was christened ‘El Volpe’ or ‘The Fox’ by Italy’s then-advisor Brendan Venter.
Jones’s side laboured to a 36-15 win but the coach lambasted the method, which has since been outlawed, but wants Te’o – a near 17 stone midfielder who struggled in that game– to use his bulk to put Italy away.
“I’ve always wanted to play Ben at 13,” said Jones. “We played him against Italy last year and the fox got him - the fox got him big time. So he wants to go fox-hunting this week. We want to see him carry the ball; if there are no foxes out there, he might have a chance.
“We want to run through them, create space, smash them at the cleanout and get on the front foot. When they get the ball they see this white line of jerseys coming at them, there’s nowhere to go.
“You’ve got to have that combative mindset. And that all starts on Sunday. We’re in this tournament to win it. Italy plays off mistakes, they hustle and bustle, create opportunities so we want to set the tone early.”
The recall of Te’o gives Jones the big ball carrier he has craved in midfield ever since he took over after the 2015 World Cup.
Originally he had Manu Tuilagi earmarked for the role but the Leicester man has only managed one appearance, and that was off the bench, in Jones’ reign.
Te’o, 31, has been rushed back after paying for his own rehabilitation in Australia where he was a successful rugby league player with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and without any recent live action.
Jones got inkling that Te’o was ready during last week’s training camp in Portugal and had no qualms about pitching him straight into action against the Italians after seeing him shell out for his own recovery programme.
He added: “He had to do it if he was to play in the Six Nations. He had no choice. It’s nice to see but I didn’t get too excited. I didn’t advise him. He decided to do it - then we had a quick chat about it. He knows his body. Those older good players know their bodies, they know what they need to do. You’ve got to trust them. He needed some specialist work.
“He’s an established rugby league player in Australia. He knew some physios and trainers that would be able to get him up to speed quickly. Like anyone you’ve got to be able to trust the doctor you go to. In an injury there’s a physical part and a psychological part. Sometimes the psychological part is more important than the physical part.
“He's just a good rugby player. He was a good rugby league player, he played at the highest level and led teams to Premierships. He was ranked above Sam Burgess; that's the stature of him in rugby league.
“When you've been used to playing in good teams with good players you know what you need to do to get yourself right. He's got a certain calmness and stable demeanour about him; he doesn't get too flustered or excited. He knows what's important in the game.”
Teams
Italy: Matteo Minozzi, Tommaso Benvenuti, Tommaso Boni, Tommaso Castello, Mattia Bellini, Tommaso Allan, Marcello Violi; Sergio Parisse (captain), Renato Giammarioli, Sebastian Negri, Dean Budd, Alessandro Zanni, Simone Ferrari, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lovotti. Reserves: Luca Bigi, Nicola Quaglio, Tiziano Pasquali, George Biagi, Maxime Mband, Edoardo Gori, Carlo Canna, Jayden Hayward.
England: Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Ben Te'o, Owen Farrell, Jonny May, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Sam Simmonds, Chris Robshaw, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley (captain), Mako Vunipola. Reserves: Jamie George, Alec Hepburn, Harry Williams, George Kruis, Sam Underhill, Danny Care, Jonathan Joseph, Jack Nowell.
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