England v Tonga:England's forwards left Nantes and retraced their steps to Versailles yesterday with alarm bells ringing in their cauliflower ears. What was supposed to be a largely irrelevant pool game against Tonga prior to the serious business of the knock-out stages is now a bare-knuckle fight for survival, and two familiar voices have warned that England may struggle unless they sharpen up on Friday night.
The first of the day's blunt messages came from the forwards coach, John Wells, who sat in a rain-lashed marquee in La Baule and admitted that the "set-piece monsters" of English rugby had to reinvent themselves in a fast-changing world.
The management have watched the deft interplay and dynamic work of the Southern Hemisphere giants with increasing disquiet and have belatedly accepted that tortoise-pace slow ball will get them nowhere. Their big men need to make more consistent inroads in open play or suffer the same fate as the dodo.
Similar sentiments have been expressed by the former England hooker Steve Thompson, a member of the all-conquering 2003 side in Australia, who is still recovering from the shock of the 36-0 defeat to South Africa. The now-retired Thompson believes his former side look stale and are a shadow of their former selves.
"They scrummaged well against South Africa but they're quite loose around the side of rucks and they're giving away easy metres," he said. "They're nowhere near the players they were four years ago . . . I believe the Premiership is the hardest league in the world but that doesn't mean it's the most skilful."
Harsh words from outside the camp are one thing but England's forwards cannot turn a deaf ear to Wells, who squeezed in an extra training session yesterday before the squad left the Atlantic coast and headed back up the Loire valley.
"We've got to work hard at making sure our forwards don't just become set-piece monsters," stressed Wells, keenly aware the Tongan pack will examine England in several areas.
"This isn't the Tonga of three to four years ago where you could walk out and score 50 or 60 points. It's going to be a ding-dong battle. Quite a lot of the Tongan players play European club rugby and they are experienced in the dark arts of scrum and lineout. It is going to be a much bigger challenge than it was against Samoa."
If Tonga perform as well as they did against South Africa last weekend Wells's worst fears may yet be realised. The Sea Eagles, who wear red jerseys as a symbol of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, put the fear of God up the Springboks and possess an outstanding back row, with Hale T-Pole available after suspension to rejoin the hirsute Finau Maka and the influential Nili Latu.
"It's going to be another hard game but if we keep believing in what we have been doing then we have a good chance," insisted Latu, who is based in New Zealand with the Wellington Hurricanes.
It puts further emphasis on England's own backrow blend, with Brian Ashton set to unveil his starting line-up today. The squad's captain, Phil Vickery, having sat out the past two matches as punishment for tripping the US centre Paul Emerick, is itching to return but there is a doubt over the Wasps flanker Tom Rees, who is receiving treatment for a thigh problem and missed training yesterday. If he is unavailable there is a choice at openside between Joe Worsley and Lewis Moody.
Nick Easter looks set, to judge from Wells's favourable notices of his performance against Samoa, to retain the number eight jersey ahead of Lawrence Dallaglio.
Jason Robinson's recovery from his strained hamstring is also said to be ahead of schedule but there seems little point rushing him back if England have aspirations beyond Friday night. Beating Australia in a quarter-final in Marseille will be even tougher if they stick exclusively to the same battered starting XV but Wells would not confirm or deny there had been disagreements between members of the coaching staff behind closed doors.
Whatever the truth, these are uneasy days for Ashton and friends. The city of Nantes was home to Jules Verne, author of Around the World in 80 Days, but England's timescale is far more pressing. They face a Tongan team aiming to astound the world in 80 minutes. Guardian Service
Sad end to Brian Lima's career
Brian Lima's World Cup is over following his dangerous tackle last Saturday on England's Jonny Wilkinson.
The Samoa centre, the only man to play in five World Cups, has been suspended for three weeks after being cited for the tackle during the Pool A clash in Nantes.
Wilkinson escaped injury and match referee Alan Lewis did not punish Lima during the game, which England won 44-22 to knock Samoa out.
But World Cup judicial officer Prof Lorne Crerar upheld the complaint lodged by match citing commissioner Steven Hines.
It means 35-year-old Lima will miss Samoa's tournament finale against the USA tomorrow.
Crerar decided Lewis's decision to award only a penalty was wrong, and he rejected Lima's explanation there was no dangerous intent.
