Eddie Jones pays tribute to France’s ‘hungry’ Antoine Dupont as Japan’s plans face reality
In overnight rugby internationals, the Japanese and Italians were reminded of the tough physical challenge of playing against the elite
Eddie Jones wants Japan to be a top-four ranked team but on Saturday the coach was reminded again how long that could take as he acknowledged the tough physical challenge of playing in the elite after a 52-12 loss to France in the autumn series.
It was Australian Jones’ fifth defeat in as many tests since he returned to take charge of the Brave Blossoms and it followed a brutal 64-19 defeat against New Zealand last month.
“It was a tough night for us. In the first half we were blown away by France,” Jones told a press conference, albeit praising his team’s mindset after a terrible opening half.
“With a young side, when you’re 31-0 down at halftime it’s easy to drop the bundle [give up] but in the second half we played some good rugby, but this young team need to improve physically,” he said.
“Tonight, physically we couldn’t cope with their size, with their power. When we had the ball, the urgency of our support players was not quick enough.”
Jones has not lost all hope, however, and sees his work as a long-term process, saying: “I’m not expecting to be there after four months but [one day] why not?”
