Manu Tuilagi can expect a target on his back, his front and just about everywhere else when England complete their pool stage campaign against Samoa a week on Saturday. Tuilagi is held in the highest regard in the country of his birth, having moved to the UK as a teenager, but as Billy Vunipola explains, it just comes with the territory when locking horns with the nation of your heritage.
He speaks from experience. Four years ago in Japan, Vunipola was on the receiving end of a thunderous tackle from Zane Kapeli and was dumped on his backside. The celebrations on the Tonga bench were rapturous and, though it is not born out of malice, Vunipola is expecting similar treatment in the coming weeks with England also on a collision course with Fiji in the quarter-finals.
Asked if Samoa will be more pumped up by the prospect of facing Tuilagi, Vunipola said: “100%. It happened the last World Cup against Tonga when I remember getting put on my backside and I remember looking up and everyone was cheering on the side of the pitch like they won the game. They will be ready and waiting. In saying that we will be the same.
“It is tough because I am on the other side of it but if I were to put myself in a Tongan shirt I would think: ‘Let’s go get this Tongan kid or who thinks he’s a Tongan kid even if he is on the other side.’ That’s how I would think if I was in the Tonga team but I am not. I still remember the 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 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. We will be right next to him trying to help as much as we can.”
For that reason Vunipola is hopeful of keeping his place against Samoa. After returning from his suspension he was on the bench against Japan and, though he started the last game against Chile, it was not the sort of match for him to make his mark. He is self-aware enough to know that while the back row is fiercely competitive, he above everyone else brings the physical edge that will be needed against Samoa.
He added: “The challenge for us is how we can negate their physical attributes in a game that they want to be physical and they will be emotionally charged. As you have seen in the last few games, every team we have played have been pumped. So we have to be ready for that onslaught of energy, physicality and also the durability to ride those waves against a team like Samoa who are going to bring all of that.
“You obviously have that link to what you have in common with [Pacific island nations] but at the end of the day I am representing England and I want to win. As soon as I cross the white line against any Polynesian team, it’s like: ‘Right, how do we get the result?’”
Key to that will be negating the threat of Theo McFarland, a revelation in the Premiership since he joined Saracens in 2021. McFarland was a latecomer to professional rugby, having represented and captained Samoa at basketball, and his previous pursuits shine through on the pitch with his deft handling and sumptuous offloads. In the season just finished he excelled early on before a debilitating knee injury but he has battled back to fitness and is expected to appear against England.
“Our focus has to be on Samoa and the threats that they bring,” said Vunipola. “They have some amazing players, Theo McFarland being one of them. He has been outstanding for them so we have to be ready. Theo is class. In terms of playing with him, his best attribute is his willingness to learn, he’s always asking [Owen Farrell] and others, say, how he can improve his running lines or where he can improve his positioning in terms of attack and defence.
“And just how he’s taken to it since he’s come to Sarries, I’ve been really impressed with how well he’s played. He’s come on leaps and bounds since the first day he came in for pre-season. In terms of his skills he’s brought over from basketball, it’s very unique and very impressive at the same time.
“Luckily he’s at a club that is used to having injured players and also players who have played to a high standard. So his rehab has been very positive in terms of now he’s playing in a World Cup. There were times when he was struggling a bit but luckily he’s got some good friends at the club. Some good friends around him and he’s got some very good Samoan friends in London, Freddie Tuilagi [Manu’s brother] being one of them.”
