England’s John Mitchell expects Wallabies to stick with ‘Australian way’

Beppu — England expect the Wallabies to play the “Australian way” when they face their familiar foes in a World Cup quarterfinal this weekend.

The Australian game has long been synonymous with running rugby and few opponents have had a longer appreciation of its qualities than England defence coach John Mitchell.

“They just love moving the ball — I think that’s the Australian way as well,” Mitchell told reporters at England’s hotel in Beppu on Tuesday. “They love ball in hand, and they love playing, so that’s to me very much their mentality, always has been and always will be.”

Mitchell was the head coach of his native New Zealand when they lost a 2003 World Cup semifinal to Australia. Eddie Jones, in charge of the Wallabies then, is now Mitchell’s boss in the England set-up.

The much-travelled Mitchell’s coaching career also includes a spell in Australian rugby with the Force. Many within rugby union have long argued Australia compensates for a relatively small playing base with coaching game intelligence — an opinion endorsed by Mitchell ahead of Saturday’s knockout clash in Oita.

“They will be clever on the weekend. They always are.”

England have won all six of their clashes against Australia under Jones — appointed after the Wallabies condemned the then hosts to a woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup with a 33-13 victory at Twickenham.

But Mitchell said that record and his own knowledge of Australian rugby would have a limited effect on Saturday’s last-eight clash.

“It’s helpful but, like anything, this is a new contest. All you can do is look at and witness the threats that they’ve posed through the way they’ve played recently.”

Australia coach Michael Cheika, who led the Wallabies to a World Cup final they lost to New Zealand four years ago after they condemned England to an early exit, suggested on Monday his staff spent too much time analysing the opposition.

Mitchell could see where Cheika, who played in the same side as Jones at Sydney club Randwick, was coming from — up to a point.

“I think it is really important to focus on your own strengths — I understand that comment,” he said. “But part of any game plan is you have also got to look at what you can take away from an opposition as well because that creates pressure.”

He added: “Having witnessed a number of teams play against Australia and also played against them myself as a youngster, they have always been highly intellectual in the way that they play the game and have always been clever, and it is something that I respect.”

Australia have several options at flyhalf in Christian Lealiifano, Matt Toomua and Bernard Foley, with Mitchell only half-joking when he said: “I would like to know who the 10 is!”

Australia also have two distinct alternatives at outside centre in the hard-running Tevita Kuridrani and James O’Connor, more of a playmaking midfielder.

“You could argue O’Connor is going to release his outside backs a bit more than Kuridrani,” said England centre Jonathan Joseph.

“But our system doesn’t change, we work in unison — 10, 12, 13, we are all working together and are going to solve it together. We are fully focused on ourselves and our ability to defend well,” Joseph said.

AFP