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Manu Tuilagi given personal warning by teammate ahead of Samoa
By PA
Billy Vunipola insists England will rally around Manu Tuilagi in expectation of the Samoan onslaught he will face when the rivals meet in their Rugby World Cup clash.
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Vunipola, the Saracens number eight of Tongan heritage, has first hand experience from Japan 2019 of what it is like to be targeted by Polynesian opposition with a point to prove.
It is a scenario that Tuilagi will encounter in Lille on Saturday week when Samoa are England’s final Pool D assignment before the quarter-finals.
Now 32-years-old, Tuilagi moved to the UK from the Pacific island when he was 13 and even though he remains proud of his origins, Vunipola expects him to have a target on his back at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
“I know for a fact that the Samoan boys, as much as they respect and hold Manu in high regard for what he has done for exposure in his heritage, they will want to go after him,” Vunipola said.
“Everyone knows Manu can look after himself but we will be right next him trying to help as much as we can because they will be ready and waiting.
“It happened to me at the last World Cup against Tonga when I remember getting put on my backside. I looked up and everyone was cheering on the side of the pitch like they won the game.
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“I am on the other side of it but if I were to put myself in a Tongan shirt I would think ‘let’s go get this Tongan kid or who thinks he’s a Tongan kid even if he is on the other side’.
“That’s how I would think if I was in the Tonga team but I am not. I still remember the image of them cheering on the bench and it made me laugh. You just have to accept it and move on.”
England face the prospect of colliding with Pacific island opposition on successive weekends given they are likely to face Fiji in the quarter-finals on October 15.
The teams last met at Twickenham in August when the dangerous Fijians prevailed 30-22, securing a historic first victory in the fixture. It was an important moment for Islander rugby, but Vunipola felt only deflation.
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“You obviously have that link to what you have in common with them but at the end of the day I am representing England and I want to win,” the back row said.
“As soon as I cross the white line against any Polynesian team, it’s like ‘right, how do we get the result?’
“Watching the Fiji game in August there was no part of me that was thinking ‘oh great win Fiji, I am happy for you’.
“I was gutted for the boys and was disappointed that we lost. It does not matter about history or they are Polynesian, it is just about the result.”
Tuilagi is a fantastic player, the Samoan team play clean rugby and he won't have any issues. They'll respect him like any other player as the players that represent Samoa are mainly from New Zealand and Australia so won't want to embarass Samoa when given the honour of wearing the jersey.
Lmao... it only happens with the Tongans, they hunt eachother playing in opposite sides.
Manusamoa Tuilagi will be fine against his fellow countrymen.
It's obvious that Billy Vunipola is only trying to fire up the England 🇬🇧 team! As an All Black fan, I can verify that whenever the All Black's play teams with New Zealand 🇳🇿 born player's in it, they don't go out to just target those guys. Everyone wearing the England 🇬🇧 jersey will be on their radar regardless of their heritage. It will be the same when Samoa 🇼🇸 play England.
"GO MANU SAMOA 🇼🇸!"
Why is England a union jack?...oops..
It's obvious that Billy
I don’t think our Samoan team will target Manusamoa Tuilagi!! All his brothers hv played n represented! Samoa! Samoans are really proud of him representing England! Not just Manu but also other Samoan players in other teams! It is an honour! All the best