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Michael Cheika has started the war-of-words before Saturday’s test against England, claiming that in last year’s fixtures his halves pairing were targeted with late tackles.
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“They will try to bully us. Traditionally that’s the way the game has gone. They try to bully us at the scrum, at the lineout, and at the ruck – trying to get into us, niggle, trying to get into our half-back after he passes, the 10 after he passes.
“There is so much footage of that. They wait for us to crack. The fact they are unified behind that strategy means we must look them in the eye and take them on if we are going to be able to resist them.”
Cheika’s remarks followed the claim that Jones is “spoilt” by the resources available to him with England, made the Australia assistant coach Stephen Larkham.
“If you look at the resources they have over here, he’s probably a little bit spoilt from where he’s come from,” said Larkham. “There’s always going to be pressure when you’ve got pretty much unlimited resources around you.”
Michael Cheika and Eddie Jones are no strangers to playing mind games after the rivals were embroiled in a media storm during the three-match series last year in Australia, which England won 3-0.
Cheika named an unchanged team from Saturday’s 29-21 victory against Wales in Cardiff, leaving key playmaker Kurtley Beale at fullback who missed last year’s series.
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Mouths from the South – Cheika vs Jones
