England coach Eddie Jones’ hopes of a seamless return to his home nation yesterday struck a speed bump when he was “shunted” into a line to have his bags searched by customs officials on arrival at Brisbane airport.
The outspoken 56-year-old, who is guiding England in a three-match series against World Cup finalists Australia, said he expected nothing less than for the locals to make life as tough as possible.
“Everything that’s done around the game is going to be co-ordinated, all co-ordinated to help Australia win,” Jones, who coached the Wallabies to the 2003 World Cup final, told local media. “I just went through immigration and I got shunted through the area where everything got checked. That’s what I’m expecting, mate.”
“We’ve got to be good enough to control what we can control,” he said.
Full bag checks are common at Australian airports.
Australia host England at Brisbane’s Lang Park on Friday next week and Jones’ coaching battle with Wallabies handler Michael Cheika has been a major talking point of a much-hyped series.
Jones has guided his team to six straight wins and a Six Nations Grand Slam to restore pride in England after they were dumped from the group phase of their home World Cup by Cheika’s team.
England beat the Wallabies in a Test in Sydney on their last tour in 2010, one of only three wins against the hosts on Australian soil.
“Australia are ranked second in the world, they’ve got the best coach in the world and they’re playing in their own backyard so they are going to be strong,” Jones said.
“In Australia, we’ve won three Tests since [English sailor] Captain Cook arrived [in the 1700s], so it’s not a great record is it?” he said.
Cheika has offered little but praise for his former Randwick teammate.
“He’s been very quiet, it’s a new Cheika we’re facing at the moment, but I’m sure the old one will come out,” Jones said.
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