By DAVID LEGGAT
What's in a name? Plenty if that name happens to be "All Blacks", says an Australian newspaper.
The Australian claims that in three press conferences this week leading up to Saturday night's semifinal, Wallaby coach Eddie Jones has used that name to describe Australia's opposition just once - and
that was a slip of the tongue.
Jones invariably used the terms "them" or "New Zealand". Asked why he did not call them the All Blacks, he went coy. "I'd rather not talk about that," Jones said with a smile.
The newspaper speculated that, as a former schoolteacher, Jones knew "New Zealand" was not intimidating; that the country was regarded as a "de facto seventh state, one that missed its chance to become part of the Federation and has spent the past 100 years regretting the decision".
"All Blacks, however, is an entirely different matter. New Zealand might not be intimidating but All Blacks are," the paper said.
Jones quashed talk about any sort of mystique surrounding All Blacks rugby.
"They're the ones we've always competed most strongly against, matched our fortunes against ... I don't know about mystique but we certainly do respect them as a fine football team."
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