'Everything in Tonga is probably the same as it was in 1888... that is the way we love it'
Billy Vunipola is excited by the prospect of playing his first Test against Tonga two decades after his father lined-up for the Pacific Islanders against England in the World Cup.
Vunipola will start Sunday’s Japan 2019 opener at No8 as the nations clash in only the third instalment of a narrative that began when Billy’s father and uncle ran out at Twickenham.
Fe’ao and Elisi were on the wrong end of a 101-10 hiding that day, but the occasion left a lasting impression on a wide-eyed six-year-old who was born in Australia but had spent long spells in Tonga.
“It was such a surreal time for me and my brother Mako as we had just got off the plane and were straight into a World Cup,” Vunipola said. “We just took it in our stride by following my dad around to Twickenham.
“I remember Twickenham being like a spaceship because it was so big compared to anything we had ever seen coming from Tonga. We then watched them against the All Blacks at Ashton Gate and we saw Jonah Lomu up close getting on to the bus. It was pretty awesome. He was just excited to see us as kids, which says a lot about him.”
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Eight years later and the Vunipolas had settled in Bristol via a spell in Wales and this time the extended family gathered together to watch the next meeting between England and Tonga around the household TV.
“I remember it because after the game we had to go for a run. We and my brother and my cousins had to go for a run and we used the Tonga game as an excuse to get out of it,” Vunipola said. “And then, when they lost my dad was a bit annoyed and everyone reminded him that we had to run. So we had to go and run! I remember watching that game. I remember Tonga doing all right but I always had an inkling that England had too much.”
In financial terms, the Pool C clash on day three of the World Cup is a giant mismatch with England stars earning £25,000 a week while Tonga’s players are given only around £330. And the build-up to this tournament points to a similar chasm on the pitch after New Zealand amassed 92 points in Hamilton on September 7.
With just under 4 days to go until the #RWC2019 kicks off in Japan, England great @NeilBack sits down with RugbyPass' @jimhamilton4 to recount his Rugby World Cup Memories https://t.co/Mc0QXJ9IuH
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 16, 2019
Vunipola, however, has warned that Tonga are a different proposition when on the global stage. “I know what it’s like for them to take on England because I have had the same mentality,” Vunipola said.
“They have a lot of pride. You can just go back through the history – Tonga has never been colonised and that fact has been fed down through to me and my dad. I know that my dad thinks they could have beaten England in 1999 – even though they lost 101-10.
“That’s just the way they are and that helps me a lot to prepare for games. They will say all week that we don’t respect them, but we do. The New Zealand game was one of those when nothing was on the line. When you play them in a friendly it’s not the same. They will be a different beast come Sunday.
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“They always go all right at World Cups. They always take a big scalp so we have to be prepared for that. It will be an onslaught of relentless physicality.”
Vunipola has added his voice to the calls started by attack coach Scott Wisemantel earlier this week for England to play a tour match in Tonga.
“I would love for that to happen. Just from my point of view as us, as England, it would probably be the most unique experience ever,” he said. “Everything in Tonga is probably the same as it was in 1888. That is the way we love it.”
– Press Association
WATCH: The trailer for the new RugbyPass behind the scenes documentary on Tonga’s preparations for the World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments