Eddie Jones was sitting at the back of the Parramatta coaching box on Monday, and as he watched Mitchell Moses star in his comeback game, he was reminded of an English rugby legend.
“He reminds me of Owen Farrell,” Jones told this masthead.
“When Owen came into a team, his drive, his directness, and his leadership just lifted the team.
“You could see that with Mitchell Moses. He can see the game quickly, he’s decisive and he’s got good energy.
“I hadn’t seen Parramatta before that, but all the coaches were saying how much he lifted the team and had given them direction.
“He’s not only a good leader, but he’s got great individual skills himself. That kick to the corner that was perfectly weighted for the winger [Bailey Simonsson], he couldn’t have weighted that any better. That was real class.
Why Eddie Jones says Mitchell Moses reminds him of English rugby great Owen Farrell
“Owen Farrell played over 100 Tests for England and won everything but a World Cup. Those sort of players [like Farrell and Moses], you can’t [overestimate] how valuable they are to a team.”
Jones, who worked with Farrell as England coach, had two stints with the Wallabies and is now in charge of Japan. He spent the week with the Eels and his former assistant Ryles after taking charge of Japan’s under-23s in a clash with Randwick at Coogee Oval last week.
Moses returned from a foot injury to play his first game of the season, and was sensational in the 38-22 win over the Wests Tigers on Easter Monday.
He finished with four try assists, including the kick for Simonsson, and a cutout ball for Josh Addo-Carr’s first four-pointer.
Mitchell Moses was excellent in his comeback for Parramatta.Credit: Getty Images
But Moses’ defining moment came in the 54th minute, when Tigers winger Sunia Turuva and Eels forward Luca Moretti were binned for their part in a melee that had spilled over the sideline at CommBank Stadium.
Moses gathered the Eels playing group into a huddle and urged them to stay composed. The Tigers players were scattered across the field, with nobody looking or talking to each other.
Jones said of Moses’ leadership at that crucial stage of the game: “It was going to be [interesting] how both teams responded to what had just happened … which team could get their focus the quickest. And that was Parramatta under Mitch. He gave them the drive and direction.
“Mitch’s ability to get the players together and work together, they kept fighting for each other.
“With Mitchell coming back, you could also see the quality of Rylsey’s coaching coming through. You need someone on the field who coaches and runs the team how you want them to be coached, and Mitchell does that. If you don’t have that, it’s really difficult.”
Five-eighth Dylan Brown was arguably the biggest winner from Moses’ return, and relished the return to his running game rather than steering the team around the park. Seeing Brown run for more than 160m and relish the freedom, however, must have been on Newcastle’s minds after they paid $13 million over the next 10 years for him to run the show like Moses.
Jones said of Brown: “He ran the ball more, he was noticed because he was such a great runner of the ball, and people tried to make him into something he’s not. Unfortunately, like anything, we get influenced by outside views.
“But now with Mitchell there, he can just be himself, and I’m sure you’ll see the best version of Dylan Brown going forward.”
The Eels have the bye before taking on Cronulla the following Friday to kickstart Magic Round.
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