Eddie Jones: What I really think of the Lions Squad and his one striking gap, how Australia will treat Henry Pollock – and why Maro Itoje is now captain material

Henry Pollock has been warned. And it is a familiar face that delivers the message.

Eddie Jones Expect his fellow Australians to have a ‘hatred combination’ relationship with the Back-Row sensation, which at the age of 20 was the youngest player called in Andy Farrell’s 38-man, British and Irish Lions Squad, after the newcomer in England and Northhampton Flanker made himself impossible to ignore with a series of dazzling versions.

Pollock has electrified the sport with its pace and skill, its combative line and ultra-self-insured nature, but the Wallabies Will certainly have plans for him. His rising profile will also attract the attention of the rugby audience.

Japanese head coach Jones has followed the progress of the X-Factor Prodigy with fascination from distant. The man who was in charge of England for seven years, until the end of 2022, admires his talent and his brutal persona, who tells Mail -sport: “He definitely has something different about him.

‘One of the things I have always learned about selecting was to choose players who have things that you can’t coach. He has things you can’t coach. He is a good support player, he has speed and he has that raw, untouched energy.

‘He is exactly like (Maro) Itoje was when he first came in and the difference that Itoje made in England at the time was huge. Pollock, when he comes into play, has the opportunity to bring that impact a team. It is not made up; It is he and the way he plays. Players like that are worth two players. ‘

Asked if he likes the assertive attitude of the One-Cap-Wonder and what Australians will probably make of it, added Jones: ‘I love it! Those players are the ones with whom you hate coaching, but you know that when they are in your team, you love them because they bring something special.

‘Australians will have that love-hate relationship with him. They love the way he holds his work, but they will probably focus a bit because of the way he plays. ‘

Last Thursday, when the Lions team was announced, Itoje had become a shoo-in for the captain-nadat he had done such a sterling work in the leading role with England, after he was installed by Steve Borthwick in January. It was all far from 2021, when Jones claimed in a book that the lock was ‘too inner’ to become a test skipper.

After having changed his tune about the references of the 30-year-old for a long time, he responded to his appointment with the lions by saying: ‘He really did well in the Six Nations and he certainly surpassed a few other captains during that period. He is now an adult player, he has played almost 100 tests, it is a great honor for him and I am really happy for him.

‘The thing I like is that, since he became Captain of England, he has been more of himself as a player. All players go through it; They come in, they are raw and they do things they are good at.

‘Then many players get a little flat and people start to question them, but when they continue their career, they tend to find themselves again and Maro just starts to find his game again. This year in the Six Nations, that was the best I saw three or four years. ‘

Jones has acknowledged Itoje’s wider prospects and increased sense of responsibility, after he had previously regarded him as more a scary, extremely gifted individual. He believes that the acclaimed saracen has the login details to handle a memorable sports assignment, perhaps one day followed by higher calls.

“The Lions Tour is the biggest challenge for every modern captain,” he said. ‘It is the longest tour and you naturally have a diverse team because of nationality. Your job is to keep them together. The test team is distributed over the non-test team and you have to keep them together. I think Maro is ready for that now.

“He will be the Lions captain than the British Prime Minister and President of Nigeria – he will do it all! Nobody will talk about Donald Trump anymore. ‘

What people will certainly talk about – at least in British, Irish and Australian rugby circles – is the thorny issue of Lions no. 10 debate; Both in terms of the chosen men and the others have been omitted from the Tour team.

Jones knows some of the game makers in the center of the debate better than most, not least Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell, around whom he spent the last part of his English term of office to build a back line.

On the more established of the two Smiths of England, he said: ‘Fin Smith will probably be the first choice of England, but Marcus can be the best no. 22 in the world or sometimes play on full back and sometimes 10.

‘He can be the best 22 in the world because he has the opportunity to play at the age of 10 and kick goals at 80 percent on full back and he still has that little X-factor about him, so that he can win nothing from nothing.

‘His career has probably changed a bit in terms of where he thought it would go, but there is a great opportunity for him in Australia. I am happy for him. He is very resilient as a character, but just like every player, you get confidence to be successful. ‘

As far as Farrell JNR is concerned, he remains contrary to a late Lions call-up, based on his status as a testcenturion and proven veteran with Lions with a reputable competitive streak.

He may have no form after a season of injury struggle, but Jones-a former member of the former fan club of the England Captain-Kan see the logic to keep a place open for him.

“You know you’re going to get a player who competes at every game,” he said. “That has been the essence of Owen; He competes hard at every game, defensive or attacks.

“He is the highest point scorer in England and he won everything except a World Cup. That is a pretty good plate.

‘You choose a team for two or three really big competitions. Suppose he came late and eventually filled in for the second or third test, you know he will do a job for you.

“You know he will never abandon anyone. He is going to play hard, he will compete and kick his goals, so it’s almost a no-brainer that he could come in as a backup player. ‘

In general, Jones believes that the selection choices of Andy Farrell and his assistants are useful, based on the power relationships within the home countries – as well as shown on form in large club matches.

However, he claimed that ‘the lions do not have an absolutely excellent world-class players’ and he also feels that there is a striking shortcoming in their ranks.

“I don’t know if they have enough ball-asking Oomph in the back row,” he said, knowing that the Wallabies are armed with tackle busting activa such as Rob Valetini, the near-18th Brummbies Back-Rower.

“Jack Willis is not really a courier, but in Europe he has shown for the past two years that he is a real first -class player.”

For now, Jack Willis nor his brother Tom has been chosen, although that can change. Jones is determined, a close series is in prospect.