Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has issued a warning to England ahead of Australia’s Spring Tour.
Looking at vision of Eddie Jones and former Wallaby Glen Ella celebrating after England’s opening Test win, Cheika was quick to issue the jab, though said he had moved on from the much-hyped war of words from the June series.
“You guys worry about the talk because you’re the media but I’m a coach I don’t worry about the talk, It’s all good,” he said on FOX SPORTS’ 360.
“There’s Glen, former Australian player, jumping up and down in the box like he won the lottery, that’s good but everything squares away in the end, it all comes back.”
In a wrap of the southern hemisphere season, Cheika said the Pretoria match against South Africa had been the Wallabies’ most disappointing, with the feeling of an opportunity lost.
"We played well enough to win it and probably played worse the next week and won,” he said.
“There’s a lot to learn but a lot to get out of what we’ve been doing this season.”
There’s still one more hurdle left for the Wallabies before they look to Europe - the small matter of ending the All Blacks' chances of a world record winning streak at Eden Park - but Cheika said his side would relish that task.
“It’s about going out there and looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
“I’m not going to hide in the dressing room and not go out there. If you look at Wellington, we brought a lot of physicality but what we didn’t do was play our game for 80 minutes.
“We lacked discipline in sticking to our way of wanting to play.
“To repel the best in the world you’ve got to play the best game of your life and be really clear and disciplined on how you want to play.”
With the Spring Tour squad to be announced next week, Cheika hinted there could be some NRC standouts joining the crew.
The provincial competition has unearthed some gems this season, including backs Irae Simone and Izaia Perese and young lock Izack Rodda and it’s a competition Wallabies skills coach Mick Byrne said should continue to produce talent to pressure the national team.
“I think that’s where it’s go to come from,” he said.
“It’s great to see young players taking opportunities and the continuity [of the competition] gettting into its third year seeing there’s a future.
“Every time we’re away, all the coaches are watching intently with the performances of the NRC and ca comment about the young guys who’ve stepped up each week."
