Eddie Jones hailed the All Blacks as sport’s all-time greatest team - then told England that they are beatable.
Jones’ Red Rose heroes set up a World Cup semi-final against holders New Zealand by giving Australia such a beating that Wallabies boss Michael Cheika later quit.
The 40-16 hammering was England’s biggest ever margin of victory in a World Cup knockout game and had the country daring to dream that rugby is on course to follow cricket in bringing home the trophy.
Jones said: “New Zealand are a great team with a great coach with a great captain. We are playing the greatest team that has ever been in sport.
“But like any team they are beatable, there are ways to beat them and we will be investigating every possible way.”
Jones refused to sympathise with the country of his birth after avenging England’s elimination from the 2015 tournament by the Wallabies.
Irritated at the suggestion he should feel sorry for the team he used to coach, Jones said: “It’s not my job to be a sympathy person. My job is to coach England.
“If you win you are happy, if you lose you are bloody sad. But let’s not get too emotional and silly about this… I’m not an Australian, I’m coaching England. I’m an England coach.”
One, he reiterated, which has a mighty job on its hands to stop the All Blacks’ bid to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of Webb Ellis trophy wins.
“If you look at their record they have won 84 per cent of their Tests since the last World Cup,” he said. “Name me another team in the world playing at the absolute top level that does that.
“To do what they do from a small country is incredible. You have to admire them, but then the challenge is to beat them.”
England will pray for the fitness of Jonny May who tweaked a hamstring after marking his 50th cap with two tries.
