Samoa will go on the hunt for compatriot and friend Manu Tuilagi in next weekend’s Rugby World Cup clash with England.
The Samoa stars will form an orderly queue to smash Tuilagi, as much to show respect to one of their own as to make each other laugh.
They will expect to give as good as they get however, with Tuilagi ready to rip into the final Pool D clash.
Born in Samoa into one of the nation’s great rugby dynasties, Tuilagi moved to the UK in 2004 and later had to appeal a deportation threat having arrived only on a holiday visa.
Now 32 and with 55 England caps to his name, Tuilagi is one of the side’s elder statesmen, but taking on Samoa will still prove poignant for him and his proud family.
Billy Vunipola had a similar experience when taking on the country of his family heritage, Tonga, at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
The Saracens No 8 explained exactly what will be in store for Tuilagi when England take on Samoa in Lille on October 7.
“In the last World Cup against Tonga, I remember getting put on my backside and I remember looking up and everyone was cheering on the side of the pitch like they had won the game,” said Vunipola.
“They will 100 per cent be more pumped if Manu plays against them. They will be ready and waiting, but in saying that, we will be the same.
“I still remember that image of them cheering on the bench, and it made me laugh.
“You just have to accept it and move on. I know for a fact that the Samoan boys, as much as they respect Manu and hold Manu in high regard for what he has done for exposure in his heritage, they will want to go after him.
“Everyone knows Manu can look after himself, but we will also be right next to him trying to help as much as we can.”
England beat Tonga 35-3 in the pool stages four years ago, and a similar result against Samoa now would put them into the quarter-finals.
Fiji or Wales are the likely last-eight opponents for Steve Borthwick’s side, now that Australia are on the brink of elimination.
Vunipola was born in Sydney to Tongan parents, then grew up in Wales and England. The 30-year-old admitted fully understanding why Pacific Island players would love to make a dent on a compatriot plying their Test trade for another nation.
“It is tough, because if I were to put myself in a Tongan shirt I would think, ‘Let’s go get this Tongan kid, or this kid who thinks he’s a Tongan kid even if he is on the other side’,” said Vunipola.
“That’s how I would think if I were in the Tonga team. But I am not.
“You have that link to what you have in common with them, but at the end of the day I am representing England and I want to win.
“As soon as I cross the line against any Polynesian team it’s like, ‘Right, how do we get the result?’
“Watching the Fiji game in August, there was no part of me that was thinking, ‘Oh, great win Fiji, I am happy for you’.
“I was gutted for the boys and was disappointed that we lost.
“It does not matter about history or that they are Polynesian, it is just about the result.”
Vunipola has hit back to form and sharpness after his red card suspension and now holds a key role in England’s World Cup tilt.
The talismanic No 8 warned England to beware Samoa’s power and fitness next weekend.
“What interests me the most is how physical they have been and how fit they have been,” said Vunipola.
“The challenge for us is how we can negate their physical attributes in a game where they want to be physical and will be emotionally charged.
“Every team we have played has been pumped, so we have to be ready for that onslaught of energy and physicality.
“We have to be durable enough to ride those waves against a team like Samoa who are going to bring all of that.”
