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England enter their World Cup campaign against Tonga at the Sapporo Dome on Sunday as overwhelming favourites to make a winning start to Pool C.
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Tonga: Road to Japan – The Documentary:
Here, the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of the game.
Time to deliver
Four years ago Eddie Jones was appointed with one purpose in mind – to take the Webb Ellis Trophy back to Twickenham. After the inexperience of his predecessor Stuart Lancaster, England made Jones the highest paid coach in international rugby in the hope he would provide the expertise needed to transform a team that had bombed in 2015 into world beaters. There have been some outstanding successes and undoubted failures, but Jones can only be judged by the team’s performance during the next six weeks.
A question to be answered
The big concern over England is their tendency to collapse when in front. It is a frailty seen time and again since the start of the 2018 summer tour to South Africa and it cost them dear in the recent Six Nations when they threw away a lead against Wales before imploding when confronted by a remarkable comeback from Scotland. Do they now know how to react when a game must be changed? Only the next few weeks will show if Jones has pressed the right buttons.
All guns blazing
England want to start the tournament with a statement and to that end have named their strongest available side that shows only two changes to the team that flattened Ireland in record fashion at Twickenham last month. The key selection is the midfield where the twin playmaker option of George Ford and Owen Farrell is now back in favour after being abandoned last year.
Kingdom of Tonga
A source of enormous pride to Tonga is their history of successfully fighting off invaders – they are the only one of the three Pacific Island nations playing at the World Cup to escape being colonised. The ferocity they once showed in repelling attackers has shaped their national psyche and, having been passed down through the generations, exists to this day through the warrior spirit displayed on a rugby pitch.
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Princes versus paupers
For all their courage, there is no hiding the cold, hard fact that Tonga enter only the third meeting between the rivals as huge underdogs who can be backed as high as 80/1 to complete one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets. England stars receive £25,000 for each match, a sum that dwarfs the measly £330 earned by the Islanders that makes it so hard to stop their talent being plundered by clubs and richer nations.
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
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