Four years on from becoming the first host nation to go out of a World Cup at the Pool stage, Jones’ team begin this one with a semi-final place as the minimum expectation.
“Tonga will have that ferocious pride – they are playing for more than just a game of rugby,” head coach Jones said.
“They are playing for a small country that fights against the odds and players there are fighting for their livelihoods. We understand how much emotion and intensity will go into the game and we have to match that.
“But we want to take them on. We are England and we want to take them on up front so no one will come out of there guessing.”
This story is from the September 22, 2019 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the September 22, 2019 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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