England vs Australia: Old friends turn to foes as great rivalry resumes in World Cup quarter-finals

Will Macpherson18 October 2019

England against Australia, in the first World Cup quarter-final of a sensational weekend, does not need any extra ­seasoning added. It is a meeting that has it all.

There is history, both ancient in the form of one World Cup Final win against the other apiece and recent in the shape of England’s six straight wins since crashing out of their home World Cup in 2015 against... Australia.

It is 12 years since England won a World Cup knockout match, while Australia - in Eddie Jones’s words - are “a great tournament side”.

There is support. This game may be taking place in Oita, a sleepy spot in Japan’s south, but an invasion began on Friday. These are officially the two ­visiting teams supported in the heaviest ­numbers, according to World Rugby. There are no hotels available for miles.

There are the cast members, from Ben Youngs and Will Genia, rival scrum-halves for a decade, to the young ­pretenders Sam Underhill and Tom Curry taking on their heroes David Pocock and Michael Hooper at the breakdown.

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So central to it all are the two coaches, Jones and Michael Cheika, who have history as long as England and Australia at the World Cup. They were team-mates - Jones at hooker, Cheika at No8 - at the famed Randwick club in ­Sydney’s east.

Both had parents born outside Australia [Jones’s mother was born to Japanese parents in the USA, Cheika’s father was from the Lebanon], which forged a bond despite a ­seven-year age difference.

Randwick in those days was in an Aussie rugby hothouse, with Ewan McKenzie, Simon Poidevin and David Campese around, too.

As coaches, Jones and Cheika have become rivals and sparring partners, playful headline-generators, although the England coach has certainly had the best of things.

James Haskell, who has played under both men, said this week: “Eddie loves revving Cheika up, and Cheika loves getting revved up.”

The niggly back and forth, though, has largely been absent in the build-up to this match. Perhaps they are just tired of it all but the pair have been looking to kill each other with kindness.

There was one slightly spiky Cheika appearance on Monday, where he described Jones inviting Aussie rugby league guru Ricky Stuart into the ­England camp as “weird” and said he was “not looking to make a movie or write a book” this weekend.

Jones is writing a book, and his victory - as Japan coach - over South Africa in 2015 was made into a film.

Old sparring partners: Eddie Jones and Michael Cheika
AFP/Getty Images

A little dig from Cheika, who has cut an irritable figure all tournament, but nothing since. Jones said on Thursday he was “proud” of his mate and that the detente might have a bit to do with the pair’s recent loss, of Jeff Sayle, a mentor at Randwick.

Jones has been publicly emotional over Sayle’s passing this month and would have dashed to his funeral in Sydney a week ago if possible. Cheika wrote a touching public letter to Sayle, too.

“There will be a bloke in the sky who will be quite excited about Michael and I coaching against each other this week,” Jones said. “I’m sure he’s having a few beers next to St Peter now looking at the situation.”

And there is real, rare finality. The cooling might also be because there has never been more at stake for both men.

They know that, whatever their ­contractual status, defeat tomorrow will define their tenure and, most probably, end it, too.

The RFU on Friday announced the ­schedule for next year’s autumn ­internationals. “Eddie Jones’s squad,” it read, will face, among others, New ­Zealand and Australia. Lose this game and it will surely not be Jones’s squad.

Neither man has died wondering with his selection. Jones has performed an about-turn that may have been in his plans but was a surprise to many others by dropping George Ford to the bench.

Cheika has thrown in the ­second-youngest player ever to turn out in a World Cup knockout match. Each has lost a World Cup Final as coach and know that timidity gets you nowhere now.

Both men have played their part in rugby’s cult of the coach but know their job is done - it is over to the players now.

Australia, with their ever-changing cast of half-backs, have looked a little chaotic and combative through this tournament, although there is no ­shortage of ­dynamism and desire - especially to beat the English.

England have not played for two weeks and have now made such a significant change that is hard to know where they stand. It is certain, though, that they must raise their game or - just like four years ago - their World Cup will have been four matches long and their exit confirmed by Australia.

A great stage is set for the latest ­instalment of a great rivalry.

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