Big Ben Te'o to strike against Italy as England boss Eddie Jones seeks Six Nations revenge
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Ben Te'o is under orders to go “fox hunting” on ­England’s payback ­mission to Italy.
Worcester and 2017 Lions centre Te'o starts his first England Test this weekend since Italy outsmarted the Six Nations champions for much of his full debut in the reverse fixture at Twickenham last year.
Red Rose coach Eddie Jones was furious with the Azzurri’s “ruckless” strategy — a tactic which the visitors dubbed ‘The Fox’.
The Australian labelled it “anti-rugby” and threatened to walk away from the sport if it was repeated.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: CameraSport via Getty)
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At the Stadio Olimpico ­on Sunday, Jones comes face to face with his tormentors for the first time since that awkward afternoon.
He has demanded his players are “brutal and ­absolutely ruthless” in ­exacting revenge.
Central to his ­thinking is that cross-code ­import Te’o will run straight and hard and take no ­prisoners in the Italian midfield.
“The Six Nations is a massive physical contest,” said Jones. “It’s not played with the pace of other ­tournaments partly because of the weather. You’ve got to have that combative mindset and we want to set the tone early – with line speed in defence and hole-punching in attack.
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“We want to run through them, create space, smash them at the clean-out, get on the front foot. So when they get the ball they see this white line of jerseys coming at them and there’s nowhere to go.”
Without principal ball ­carriers Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes through injury, Jones needs rookie No.8 Sam Simmonds and the experienced Te’o to make the hard yards.
“I’ve always wanted to play Ben at 13,” he admitted. “We played him against Italy last year but ‘The Fox’ got him. It got him big time.
“So he wants to go ­fox hunting this week.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: Getty)
“We want to see him carry the ball and hit the line hard. If there are no foxes out there, he might have a chance.”
To make room for Te’o, Jones has had to sacrifice Jonathan Joseph — scorer of an 18-minute hat-trick the last time England were in Rome.
Te’o has not started a match of any kind since October due to injury, but so impressed was Jones by how he played for the Lions in the 31-year-old's native New Zealand that he has brought him in at the first ­opportunity.
“He was ­outstanding in the first Test,” said Jones.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
“He went at Sonny Bill Williams and did some really good things. He had a significant impact and looked like a player who can win Test matches for you.”
England are 1/25 with the bookies to maintain their 100 per cent record in the ­fixture, and evens to complete a first-ever hat-trick of ­outright tournament wins.
* MATT DAWSON has paid tribute to the England scrum-halves set to remove his name from the record books.
Ben Youngs starts his 56th Test on Sunday, overtaking the World Cup winner’s record for the most by an England half-back.
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Danny Care will then equal Dawson’s landmark for most caps as England scrum-half if-and-when he comes off the bench to win his 77th cap.
“I couldn’t think of two more deserving players to be England’s most-capped and most starting scrum-halves,” said Mirror columnist Dawson.
“Primarily I’m proud to call them both my friends, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching them help drive England’s current success.
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“In such a contact-driven sport, their guile and mind for the game at the highest level is world-class and I’ve the utmost confidence the pair of them will taste even more success in the next year or so.
“It’s a record I’m sure they would have been quietly targeting as I know how immensely proud I was to hold it. Their dedication to the game is incredible, but the journey is not yet over.
“They are desperate for the main goal of World Cup glory and I back them the whole way.”