All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has advised Michael Cheika to stop letting Eddie Jones “bully” him as the Wallabies leader looks to avoid a series whitewash against England this weekend.
The normally feisty Cheika has so far avoided trading barbs with his compatriot Jones, a former teammate of the Australian coach at Sydney's Randwick rugby club.
Hansen said it had been “interesting” watching Cheika's demeanour in the lead-up to the two Test losses in Brisbane and Melbourne which handed England an unprecedented series win in Australia.
“Cheika's not come back, he's let Eddie have a free rein to the point where it seems like he's actually allowed Eddie to bully him in the media,” Hansen said in comments reported by Fairfax New Zealand.
“I don't know if that's because they know each other that well, that there's a pecking order from old days. I don't know. But that's gone onto the park, hasn't it?”
Cheika's men have plummeted in form since their stunning run to last year's World Cup final and must regroup in Sydney to avoid finishing the England series with a 3-0 defeat.
Jones said after England's 23-7 second Test win in Melbourne that he wanted a whitewash but it did not reflect his personal feelings toward Cheika.
“I want to see him do well, I like the bloke, but I don't want to see him do well against us,” he said.
“So as soon as we beat him 3-0, they can win every Test.” – AFP