Thursday 27th September 2007
England coach Brian Ashton has "total confidence" in his players to keep alive their World Cup dream on Friday, when they face Tonga, and book a quarter-final date with Australia.
But the showdown with the Wallabies in Marseille next Saturday will not materialise unless England topple Tonga, thetournament's surprise package.
England are faced with a simple equation - beat Tonga at Parc des Princes and they march on; lose, and a weekend flight home beckons.
No reigning champion has exited at the pool stage in five previous Rugby World Cups, and England do not intend creating a humiliating piece of history.
There were signs during last Saturday's victory over Samoa that England have started to turn a corner following their record 36-0 World Cup defeat against South Africa eight days previously.
With fly-half Jonny Wilkinson again in the driving seat on Friday, their next stop should be the south of France, rather than Heathrow.
"If we don't win this game, we go home," Ashton said.
"I think Tonga are probably a stronger side at the moment than Samoa, and it is going to be a tough game.
"But there is a sense of anticipation, as opposed to anxiety, this week. I think it is fair to say all the players are really anticipating the match.
"I have got total confidence in the 22 players who are going out there tomorrow night that they are going to do the job."
England expect a far sterner challenge in the set-pieces from Tonga than Samoa mustered, with the back row presence of skipper Nili Latu and number eight Finau Maka posing a considerable twin threat.
"We've looked at them very closely, and certainly Maka and Latu, their defensive work and handling of the ball in this competition, we haven't seen anything better," said England captain Martin Corry.
"It would be wrong to single out those two if you look at the pack, their line-out play, their line-out drive, the way they pick and go and the way they turn slow ball into fast ball.
"They've posed a lot of problems for every single team in the group by doing that. That is something we have to stop because it is a real threat.
"We are going to have to win the game, and we expect to win the game, but that is taking nothing away from Tonga.
"They are coming into this game full of confidence, but we are just focusing on ourselves.
"We are a team which also has momentum, which in terms of our expectations and ambitions, we are looking to improve on what we did against Samoa."
Ashton's bold call in selection means no starting place for World Cup captain Phil Vickery, who features among the replacements after serving a two-match ban.
Corry retains the leadership role, with Matt Stevens staying at tighthead prop despite Vickery's re-emergence, and two changes from the Samoa encounter see lock Steve Borthwick and flanker Lewis Moody gain start ahead of Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley, respectively.
Vickery, Worsley and Lawrence Dallaglio give the England bench a powerful feel, and it is that strength in reserve which could ultimately negate Tongan hopes of causing a monumental upset.
England, too, will have the lion's share of support - a fact not lost on Corry.
He said: "We know how much people are sacrificing to come out, and it does mean a hell of a lot when they get behind us.
"One of our major motivations going into the game is to give the crowd something to shout about.
"As long as everyone wearing white is shouting for us, that's all that matters to me. We have fantastic support, and it means a huge amount to the players.
"We are going into this game very confident - we've worked very hard on that.
"As captain, the most important thing you want to see is that everyone is right on the money, and when you get closer to the game it is about judging how the mood is.
"Our execution wasn't right in the first two games, and neither was our discipline going through with the game plan.
"It is making sure we are all clear, at whatever stage of the match, we stick to the discipline of our game."
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