Venter hits back at angry Eddie

Italy defence coach Brendan Venter has defended the team's tactics against England at Twickenham on Sunday.

England won 36-15 after trailing 10-5 at the break to extend their winning streak in Tests to 17, only one short of New Zealand's tier-one record.

Coach Eddie Jones was highly critical of Italy's tactics, which saw their defenders stand in England's backline as no offside line had been formed.

'In football they say park the bus. I don't know what they had, but it was bigger than a bus,' he said. 'Remember Trevor Chappell? Bowled under arm along the ground. Couldn't hit the ball for six. We saw a Trevor Chappell game of rugby today.

We still haven't played a game. We haven't played rugby yet.

'Congratulations to Italy. I thought they were brilliant in the execution, but if that's rugby, I'm going to retire. That's not rugby.

'If your halfback can't pass the ball, then there's something wrong with the game. You're looking to pass and all you see is one of their players.

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'We lost the ruck from the game and when you lose a primary contest from the game it changes the game considerably and it ceases to become rugby,' Jones added.

'If you paid for your ticket, ask for your money back. I'll have to give my money back to [RFU CEO] Ian Ritchie, because no one's had rugby yet.

'I don't want to be involved in those sort of games. I'd rather go home, pick up my stumps, put them in the kit bag and go home.

'If you think that's smart, fantastic. I don't think it's smart rugby.'

Venter responded to Jones' criticism on Twitter.

'The object of today's [game] plan was to beat England. Not keep the score down. We needed turnovers and got them. Kicked the corners from penalties?

'We consider it an insult if someone thinks we turn up to keep the score down. We are a young team that will grow. Give us time.'

Venter added that 'if Italy were better conditioned they could have beaten England. Just ran out of gas.'

VIDEO: How Italy identified loopholes in laws against England

Italy head coach Conor O'Shea was also unapologetic.

'We didn't come up with this overnight.

'It is funny. When Wasps score a try to beat Toulouse in the European Cup and when David Pocock intercepts a ball against Ireland in the autumn internationals it is brilliant; when Italy do something it is not allowed.'

Photo: Graham Wilson/Getty Images

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