World Rugby backs Poite, Woodward lauds Italy

It took Jones’ side a long time to make the required tactical adjustments as they trailed 10-5 at halftime before running out comfortable 36-15 victors. England’s World Cup-winning scrum-half Matt Dawson agrees with Jones, declaring: “Well done Italy for ruining this worldwide”.

“I’m not happy what happened today, I don’t think that’s rugby”.

That’s not rugby”, said a seething Jones at the post-match press conference, adding that “in football they say park the bus.

“I certainly would have known the rules around it anyway, once you’re prepared properly for situations like that then it can work in your favour too”.

“I was remembering [Australian fast bowler] Trevor Chappell bowling underarm along the ground”. Couldn’t hit the ball for six. It took England, who have won all 22 of their previous Tests against the Azzurri, 24 minutes to open the scoring, with prop Dan Cole driven over for a try off a close-range line-out.

“We shouldn’t be reducing the game, it’s not as if we have a million countries playing rugby”.

“We are not going to roll over and we are going fight”, he insisted. During an interesting first half, Italy regularly used a tactic of failing to create a ruck, meaning there was no offside line.

But as for calling Jones to task for his over-reaction, including saying fans should demand their money back because “it wasn’t rugby”, let’s just say Smith was not about to pick a battle he couldn’t win. I don’t think it’s smart. But he’s not going to get into one with me. “I don’t want to be involved in those sort of games”.

Italy’s tactics increasingly enraged the Twickenham crowd and confused the England players.

“We challenged people’s minds and a lot of credit must go to Brendan for doing what he did”, said Italy head coach Conor O’Shea.

“We wanted to play quicker down at the ruck”.

Had Italy, who saw fly-half Tommaso Allan miss three penalties and fullback Edoaardo Padovanni be off target with a conversion, landed all their goalkicks they might even have been celebrating a famous win.

Sergio Parisse, Giulio Bisegni and Andries van Schalkwyk swept them over the halfway line and when Nathan Hughes infringed as the hosts scrambled, Allan lined up another penalty shot.

In a comprehensive report written by ESPN’s Tom Hamilton, coach O’Shea said the tactic, named the Fox, had been devised earlier in the Six Nations following Italy’s defeat by Ireland.

The triumph stretched England’s record run of victories to 17 ahead of the visit of Scotland in a couple of weeks’ time.

Should Italy beat England on Sunday at Twickenham it will be up there with the biggest upsets in rugby union.

The 30-year-old captain has been outshone by younger understudy Jamie George off the bench in the first two winning games of the Six Nations.

Georgia sit above the Azzurri in the world rankings but are denied a place at Europe’s top table due to the refusal by organisers to introduce promotion and relegation or a play-off system.