Former New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen is relishing the prospect of another meeting with former England boss Eddie Jones next summer.
The 63-year-old, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner with the All Blacks in 2015 (as head coach) and 2011 (as an assistant coach), will head up the World XV which will face Jones’ Barbarian F.C. side at Twickenham on Sunday 28 May 2023 (kick-off 4 pm SA Time).
It will be Jones’ first return to HQ in a coaching capacity since he was relieved of his duties with England earlier this month.
Having squared off against the 62-year-old Australian numerous times already throughout his career, Hansen believes Jones will leave no stone unturned in his preparations to create an unmissable spectacle of rugby.
“You relish every chance to go against Eddie,” he said. “We’ve known each other for a long, long time and he’s a good rugby man.
“He cares about the game a lot, and I consider myself someone who cares about the game too. It’s an opportunity to be able to be part of something that could be quite special on the day.
“With Eddie, you’ve got to expect the unexpected, because one of his great attributes is his ability to analyse the opposition and set traps for them. He’s a great planner, that’s why he’s been so successful with so many sides in different World Cups, having won one with South Africa.
“Obviously he was building towards the one in 2023, and he’s now not going to be there, which is unfortunate for him – but, being the man that he is, he’ll move on quickly and he’ll still want England to do well.
“He’ll want to come to Twickenham with the Barbarians, come to the end of May and play a good brand of footy, and he’ll want to win too because he’s a pretty competitive bloke.”
Hansen and Jones last locked horns in the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals– a clash which yielded arguably the most accomplished performance of the Australian’s tenure as England head coach, with the Red Rose winning 19-7 in Yokohama to progress into the final against eventual champions South Africa.
As things stand, both Jones and Hansen will be watching the action unfold at next year’s Rugby World Cup in France from the stands rather than the coaching boxes.
But Hansen admits his eyebrows were raised when he heard England had parted company with Jones so close to rugby’s showpiece tournament.
Tickets for the blockbuster Killik Cup clash are already on sale from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians – with a special early-bird offer currently available from £25* for Adults and £15* for Under-16s.
