Lewis Moody will be on a mission to sap the energy of Tonga’s highly-rated forwards when England fight for World Cup survival on Friday night.
Andrew Baldock of PA Sport writes that Tonga, who stand between England and a quarter-final place, have already seen off Samoa and America, while they were only a converted try away from stunning South Africa.
And the Pacific Islanders’ pack has been key to those results, suggesting England face a punishing encounter at Parc des Princes.
Leicester flanker Moody, back for his first England start since the demoralising Twickenham defeat against Argentina 15 Tests ago, will be critical to red rose ambitions of stopping the Tongans’ possession supply at source.
Moody said: “The most important thing is we put our attitude, our mark on the game in the first 10 minutes like we did against Samoa last Saturday.
“That makes a huge difference. It takes away their confidence, energy and enthusiasm – it drains them a little bit.
“As a forward, you have got to work hard and wear them out.
“They (Tonga) are a big bunch of forwards, and you have got to make them have an honest day’s work and make sure they haven’t got all that energy to run around the park.
“Across the board, Tonga have got more talent than they’ve had in past years, and they are showing that with the way they are playing.
“They are not afraid to run from anywhere on the pitch, and they’ve also got a kicking game. There are a lot of areas to their game they can call upon.
“They are going to prove a massive challenge.
“Tonga have beaten Samoa and they took South Africa to the limit, they really did. I hope people don’t think this is going to be a walkover, because it is going to be a really tough game.”
Moody will wear the number seven shirt for a game England must win to avoid the ignominy of an early flight home.
And the 29-year-old has plenty of personal incentive after missing last season’s entire RBS 6 Nations Championship due to a shoulder injury.
He added: “It is just a fantastic opportunity for me.
“I have been waiting for this moment ever since I pulled my calf muscle before the French game (at Twickenham last month), so it has been a frustrating period of time sat on the bench.
“But you get what you are given in sport, and I have now got the opportunity, so it is great.
“Last season was fantastic for me from a club perspective.
“We were playing some of the best rugby of my career at Leicester, on a personal note and as a team. It was just a joy to be out there playing consistently week in, week out.
“For me, on and off over the last few years, it has always been a case of get a few games and then have an injury that will set you back a few months, and then you are always fighting to get back to form.
“But to have that complete season with Leicester was brilliant. I enjoyed it – my rugby was good, I was playing well.
“I always considered myself a seven, but most of my career I’ve played at six. At the end of the day, I love playing the game – it is as simple as that.”
Teams:
England: J Lewsey (Wasps); P Sackey (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), G Chuter (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), S Borthwick (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt), L Moody (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), L Dallaglio (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), P Richards (London Irish), A Farrell (Saracens), D Hipkiss (Leicester).
Tonga: V Lilo (Fanga ‘o Pilolevu); T Tu’ifua (Counties Manakau), S Hufanga (Brive), E Taione (Sanyo Wild Knights), J Vaka (World Fighting Bull); P Hola (Kobe Steel), S Tu’ipulotu (unattached); S Tonga’uiha (Northampton), A Lutui (Worcester), K Pulu (Perpignan), V Vaki (Perpignan), L Fa’aoso (Marist), H T Pole (Southland), N Latu (Bay of Plenty, capt), F Maka (Toulouse).
Replacements: E Taukafa (Lyon), T Filise (Cardiff Blues), M Molitika (Cardiff Blues), I Afeaki (Grenoble), S Havea (Marist), H Tonga’uiha (Vaini Club), A Havili (Worcester).
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
Touch judges: Craig Joubert (South Africa) and Christophe Berdos (France).
September 27th, 2007 at 11:48 am
That headline just looks wrong
September 27th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Tongans ordered to wash hair
27/09/2007 18:19
Paris – Tonga has had a bad hair day.
Several of Tonga’s Rugby World Cup players dyed their hair green, in a move they said was intended to thank an Irish online bookmaker for pumping funds into their cash-strapped World Cup preparations.
International Rugby Board officials took one look at their locks on Thursday and ordered them to head for the showers, saying the green hair was a form of advertising.
By the time the team appeared at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris to practice for Friday’s winner takes all Group A match with defending champion England, only a couple of players still had streaks of green in their hair and one other was wearing a black beanie with a strip of tape covering its logo.
And they were angry the IRB was issuing hairdressing orders.
“I just do not get the ruling,” said captain Nili Latu. “Some of the guys in the other teams are wearing blond hair.”
The Irish bookie reportedly sent a hairdresser to France especially to colour the Tongans’ tresses only to see his work washed out within hours.
It’s not like the Tongans needed more attention focused on their heads – No 8 Finau Maka’s towering ‘fro (which was dark brown on Thursday) is battling with the flowing locks of Sebastian Chabal to become the most photographed hairdo of the tournament.
Latu, his bald head gleaming in the Paris sunlight, had some advice for his teammates trying to “undye” their hair.
“I said to the boys, ‘shave it like mine, then you don’t have to comb it every morning.”‘
England coach Brian Ashton said he was not bothered by the Tongans’ hairdos.
“They can do what they want to do. It doesn’t have any effect. The only disappointment is that I was thinking of doing the same thing and they’ve stolen my thunder now,” the gray-haired Ashton said.