Bob Skinstad has hit back at Eddie Jones after the former England coach compared Henry Pollock to him and questioned their ability to handle the 80-minute “grind”.
Jones made the remarks on the Rugby Unity podcast in the wake of England’s 42-21 Six Nations defeat to Ireland at Twickenham.
“Pollock to me is like, if you go back, Bobby Skinstad – good-looking, always got a suntan and he can play,” Jones said. “He’s one of those blokes who is 20 minutes, who finds himself in the right position, but he’s not a ‘grind’ player.”
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Skinstad neatly sidestepped the Jones swipe before delivering a klap.
“Any likening to a young guy like Henry Pollock is a fantastic compliment, so I will thank him for that,” Skinstad told The Telegraph.
“What an amazing player. He’s highly skilled, works really hard, incredible in the ball-carrying and speed areas. Those are his natural talents. But he also does things in other areas – great steals on the ground, good cover tackler – and he’s got a bit of pizzazz. I love that. It’s exactly what rugby needs.
“Eddie has got a very good and broad view of rugby. But I think Henry Pollock has got a full 80-minute grind in him because he has so much pace and ability to affect the game.
“The game is evolving. If Eddie wants to play 80 minutes with 15 pure grinders, then maybe his coaching record is indicative of not moving with the times.”
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Jones was famously sacked by England less than a year out from the 2023 World Cup in France after a disastrous run of results, including just five wins from 12 Tests in 2022.
The 27-13 loss to the Springboks at Twickenham that year saw the RFU pull the trigger on the Jones era after what it described as results that “are not where we expect them to be”.
Skinstad, who captained the Boks, believes Pollock represents the evolution of the modern back row rather than a throwback.
“I did try to do things differently, which is what Henry does,” he said. “I think he’s taken my slight expansion of the role, torn up the hymn sheet and written a whole new song – and it’s a much better song. He plays all the instruments in the band. Compliments to him.
“I was a young player who tried to do things differently, so that’s probably where the analogy can stop.”
Skinstad nevertheless thanked Jones for his comments, saying: “Even an underhanded compliment from Eddie is always treasured – they don’t roll off his tongue too easily.”
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Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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