England coach Eddie Jones has had one final dig at rival Warren Gatland as he prepares for this weekend's Rugby World Cup final.
Jones was in lively spirits at a press conference yesterday as usual and had a crack at Gatland, who questioned whether England had played its World Cupfinal a game early after its stunning performance against New Zealand.
Gatland had been speaking after the Welsh lost 19-16 to South Africa on Sunday, leaving them in the bronze-medal match against the All Blacks on Friday.
"You just send my best wishes to Warren to make sure he enjoys the third and fourth place play-off," said Jones in a tongue-in-cheek comment at England's news conference.
At the weekend, Gatland had added: "We have seen in previous World Cups that teams sometimes play their final in semi-finals and don't always turn up for a final.
"So it will be interesting to see how England are next week and it could be a good game."
England are looking to claim their second World Cup title on Saturday in what will be Jones' third World Cup final.
Jones was an assistant coach with South Africa when they won the title in 2007, beating England in the final, and was head coach of Australia when they lost the 2003 final to England.
After Saturday's stunning win over the All Blacks, Jones gave away what his old pal Steve Hansen is doing after the World Cup.
Wales coach Warren Gatland. Photo / Ben Evans/Huw Evans Agency
He confirmed, in a heartfelt tribute to his good friend, that Hansen is joining the Japanese club Toyota after the tournament.
"He is a great coach," said Jones. "I first coached against him in 1997. He was coaching the Crusaders and I was coaching the Brumbies. He is a great rugby man and he will go down as one of the great All Black coaches.
"The thing that has always impressed me about him is that he always looks to see what is best for the game and he is going to be missed.
"I am sure there are going to be opportunities for him. I know he is coming back here and coaching at Toyota. And I am sure he is going to get involved in helping World Rugby."
