Highlanders Jamie Joseph says he was misunderstood; compared Australian derbies to “school stuff”
The Highlanders head coach, Jamie Joseph, who compared the Australian Super Rugby derbies with “school stuff” on Wednesday, has taken his words back. Talking to media on May 20th he said that his comments were misinterpreted. A couple of days
ago Jamie had some stern words for Australian teams and said they were playing sub-standard rugby in the ongoing Super Rugby championship.
Jamie Joseph said on May 18th, "We played four New Zealand teams in a row, that's a big ask because they are very physical. You watch the Waratahs play the Reds and it's different rugby ... it's like school stuff while we are at war."
Talking to the reporters this morning, Joseph said that he does not mean to degrade any team and he respects every country and outfit. He had also criticised SANZAR for allowing Melbourne Rebels to play as the fifteenth team in this year’s Super Rugby stall.
He claimed that with the inclusion of Rebels, the depth of other Australian teams has decreased.
Joseph’s comments come out as a red rag to the bull of Australian teams and they hit back him in similar fashion. Queensland Reds coach, Ewen McKenzie, declared Joseph’s statement disappointing and said, “He obviously didn't watch the game if he is saying
that. In terms of physicality, I don't know if we have made more tackles this season than we did in that match. We had no ball and we were getting worked over at scrum time."
Jamie Joseph, who is a former All Blacks player and experienced coach, did not appreciate the playing style of Australian teams and said that they should change their approach. He quoted the example of the Wallabies teams playing in the current Super Rugby
championship and said even their two top teams lacked the intensity fit for the game.
Although Queensland Reds are on top of the table with most victories in the tournament, Joseph is still not satisfied. He has pointed at the fact that three out of five Australian teams have been placed low on the point’s tables after 13 rounds of Super
Rugby.
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