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Sydney - If Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is intending to engage in a war of words with his England counterpart Eddie Jones ahead of the June series, he appears intent on keeping his powder dry until he can see the white of the tourists’ shirts.
Cheika named a 39-man training squad for the three Tests against England on Thursday and was happy to talk about his selections, including former captain James Horwill and 10 uncapped players.
Offered the chance to respond to his former clubmate Jones’s observation that it would be a “failure” if the Six Nations champions did not win the series, however, Cheika was not biting.
“He’s very happy with the team he’s got and by saying that he obviously thinks that he’ll come down here and win 3-0,” Cheika told reporters in Sydney.
“That’s his way of motivating his troops, you know what I mean, and that’s good. They’ve been together a little bit longer, I guess. They played the Six Nations together and they’re on more of a roll.
“We’re just starting to reconnect again when we get together on the Sunshine Coast and start preparing for that first match and just thinking about that kick-off. That’s it.”
That first match is in Brisbane on June 11 with Tests in Melbourne and Sydney following over the next two weekends.
