Eddie Jones defends outburst after England labour to victory over Argentina in opening autumn international
England head coach Eddie Jones insists he was entitled to vent his frustration at the workmanlike nature of their 21-8 win over Argentina on Saturday.
Jones was captured on camera throwing down his notebook in a hail of expletives as England struggled to find fluency at Twickenham, where they beat the out-of-form Pumas through tries in each half from No8 Nathan Hughes and replacement Semesa Rokoduguni.
“Throwing stuff? That is pretty frustrated,” he said. “We want to play well. We want to play good rugby and I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be frustrated. It is one of those things.”
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Jones conceded it had been “a grindathon” for England in their opening autumn international, despite Argentina arriving in London with 17 defeats in their previous 22 Tests.
“Every time we created something a pass would go astray or something,” he added. “Henry Slade did some good things but that understanding at 10-12-13 wasn’t really there.”
Rokoduguni’s introduction off the bench came after full-back Mike Brown suffered a head injury in a collision with opposite number Joaquin Tuculet that could rule him out of Saturday’s visit of Australia.
Rokoduguni made the result safe with England’s second try (Source: Getty)
Not until the Bath wing’s 66th-minute try could England relax and Rokoduguni, a lance-corporal who served in Afghanistan, admitted his pride at featuring on Armistice Day.
“It was an honour and a privilege to be at Twickenham on this day for the armed forces,” said the 30-year-old. “To be part of the winning team and to score the try makes it extra special. It was an emotional day for me.”
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