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Eddie turns to cricket to find edge against All Blacks

Tokyo - England coach Eddie Jones frequently returns to his beloved cricket when explaining his attitude to rugby, and Saturday's semi-final with New Zealand has had him warming to a favourite subject.

England have moved up to second in the world rankings behind the All Blacks.

According to the Rugby World Cup website, to beat them in Yokohama, Jones, pictured in delivery stride above, will be looking for consistency and a relentless commitment to the gameplan.

In cricketing terms, he wants his players to bowl line and length, keep nagging away just outside off stump, until the best sporting team in the world - according to the head coach - makes an error and edges a catch to slip.

"If you're bowling against Steve Smith, or Joe Root when he's in form, you've got to be respectful of their ability," Jones said.

"But there's a way to get a man out, and the good bowlers are able to work them out and keep there, not go away from the plan, keep digging away.

"But what happens is that people get bored and they try to find the magic solution and that magic solution allows that batsman to get free.

"If you allow them to get free they become a different player, but if you keep them where they don't like to be for long enough you'll get a result. It's the same in rugby.

"If you look at the All Blacks' record, I don't think there is a team that comes close to them for sustainability. Since the last World Cup, I think they've won 90 percent of their tests. Name me another team in the world that plays at the absolute top level that wins 90 percent of their games."

Saturday's semi-final between the All Blacks and England kicks off at 10:00 SA time.

Read the FULL article on the RWC website

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