Australia-born Jones was considered to have won the psychological contest against Cheika when England completed an historic 3-0 sweep of the Wallabies in Australia in June. Jones steered the media agenda throughout the series, keeping pressure on the Wallabies and needling the often volatile Cheika. Hansen observed after the series that Cheika had allowed himself to be "bullied" by Jones. Cheika heavily spun that response, interpreting that Hansen believed the All Blacks' 13-year run of Bledisloe Cup wins over Australia would continue. "You need mental fortitude and there's no better place to test mental fortitude than against New Zealand."

Source: New Zealand Herald August 15, 2016 03:56 UTC