Paul Gustard, England’s defence coach, poured petrol on the fire lit by Eddie Jones when he accused Wales of scrummaging illegally and said the referee for Saturday’s match at Twickenham would recognise England’s superiority.
Jones and the Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde, who questioned the legality of the England loosehead prop Joe Marler’s scrummaging technique, exchanged barbs on Thursday in the buildup to a Six Nations fixture that has come to see the loser complain about the referee’s handling of the scrum.
Gustard on Friday escalated the argument by reiterating Jones’s comments and mounting a staunch defence of the 25-year-old Harlequins prop as well as backing the referee, Craig Joubert, whose last Test was at Twickenham five months ago when a controversial decision in Scotland’s 35-34 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Australia saw him sprint off the pitch immediately after blowing for full-time.
“Eddie Jones nailed it. Our feeling is that Wales pre-engage and are illegal in their set-up at scrums,” Gustard said. “We have the utmost confidence in Craig Joubert refereeing that properly. If that happens then I’m sure we’ll come out on top.
“We have no concerns about Joe at all. It is one guy saying something to ignite a fire that people pick up on. It’s pretty obvious for most people watching that England have had the most dominant scrum in the championship so far; that’s a fact. Joe got three penalties in his favour against Wales in the World Cup. The statistics speak for themselves.”
Wales did not react to Gustard’s claims at their final media conference before the match, which is being played less than six months after they defeated England at Twickenham in the World Cup to hasten the hosts’ exit and set off a chain of events that led to Jones being appointed the coach.
“Things will always be said in the press and it makes no difference to us,” said the Wales kicking coach, Neil Jenkins. “It is a humungous game regardless of anything else. Craig Joubert has been one of the best referees for a long time and I am sure he will assess the scrums as he sees them.”
Joubert controlled the match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield in the 2013 Six Nations when he awarded 37 penalties. Nine were at the scrum and most of them went to Wales, prompting the home side’s coach Scott Johnson to claim the official had been conned by the Welsh front row.
Marler’s director of rugby at Harlequins, Conor O’Shea, joined in the dispute to defend his forward, saying: “Joe is one of the top props in the world and will prove this again on Saturday. To single him out is unfair and Wales are looking to put pressure on the referee when everyone knows how difficult it is to control the scrum. Their psychological games won’t work.”
