London - When England and Wales clash at Twickenham on March 12, it will be the pivotal fixture of this RBS 6 Nations and an intriguing confrontation between the two most decorated coaches working in the Northern Hemisphere.
Eddie Jones was hired by the RFU late last year as an experienced coach capable of instigating an England revival. Warren Gatland has been in charge of Wales since 2007 and has enjoyed success with his adopted nation, as well as with the Lions.
Both men bring a hard-edged antipodean attitude to their high-pressure roles far from home. Here’s how they measure up…
Selection policy
Jones: Likes to keep his players on edge, waiting until the last moment to let them know who is in and who is out. Secretive about his plans and about the logic behind close calls. Will gauge the views of his assistants but makes it clear that he has the deciding say. Picks certain players on a horses-for-courses basis.
Gatland: The Kiwi is fiercely protective of information about his Wales selections. Will often change the timing of team announcements at short notice. Ruthless streak demonstrated by decision to drop Brian O’Driscoll from Lions Test XV for 2013 decider. He rode out the subsequent storm but it left a scar.
Tactical approach
Jones: Pragmatism is the buzz-word. He will tailor his strategy to the weapons at his disposal. With a lightweight Japanese team he prioritised tempo, avoiding collisions and stretching defences, but with England the early emphasis has been on physicality, aggression and set-piece control. But his overriding instinct is to be daring and attack with width and pace.
Gatland:‘Warrenball’ is the tag - disliked within the Welsh camp - that has been applied to the way the team operate under Gatland. The reliance on powerful runners to break the gainline is by no means unique to Wales, but the size of the Welsh backs in particular means Gatland is depicted as wielding a tactical sledgehammer.
Man-management
Jones: Dylan Hartley says the Australian will veer between being fiercely critical and dishing out high praise, while dropping in questions about players’ families. He will be hard on players - publicly and privately - but revels in training-ground banter and endorses socialising among players.
Gatland: Like Jones, he has a tendency to put pressure on players he doesn’t feel are performing. Last year George North was kept on his toes with the threat of being dropped, only to be picked, supported and praised emphatically when he responded well. Gatland also allows his players the odd beer, as does Jones.
Reaining regime
Jones: Subjects players to a brutal workload in an attempt to drag them out of comfort zones. Japan captain Michael Leitch described him as ‘somewhere between a devil and an angel’. England do early sessions, extra sessions and have no weekly days off.
Gatland: One France player referred to Wales as ‘a team of bodybuilders’ and Gatland has emphasised the need to build size and power. But he has long advocated short, intense training sessions and a tapering of the work-load during long campaigns.
Verbal volleys
Jones: He has said he won’t talk to the media until next Friday after being irritated by reaction to his comments about Jonathan Sexton. Often tailors remarks to unsettle the opposition over tactics or fire up his players. Prepared to defend himself passionately but a smile and a quip are rarely far away.
Gatland: Had a tendency to toss verbal grenades but has toned it down. In 2009 he offered the unprompted view that Welsh players disliked the Irish more than any other Six Nations team. Two years later he attempted to goad Dylan Hartley with spicy pre-match comments.
Coaching record
Jones: Guided his home country to the World Cup final in 2003 when the Wallabies lost to Sir Clive Woodward’s England. Four years later he was assistant to Jake White as South Africa claimed the 2007 title in France. Last year his Japan team stunned the Springboks and claimed three victories at the World Cup. Won the Super Rugby title with the Brumbies back in 2001.
Gatland: His finest feats have all been on behalf of European teams. Guided the Lions to a series victory - their first in 16 years - over Australia in 2013. As coach of Wales he has claimed two Grand Slams and a further Six Nations title. With Wasps, he won a Heineken Cup and three successive Premiership titles.
Daily Mail