England inspired by Ferguson visit

England insist they will not panic despite a sluggish start to their World Cup campaign after drawing inspiration from a motivational speech by football legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

Eddie Jones’ side did not clinch their four-try bonus point until the 77th minute against tier two side Tonga in a display undermined by handling errors and poor discipline in the 35-3 victory at the Sapporo Dome in Japan on Sunday.

England’s disjointed display against an island with a population of just 100,000 was in stark contrast to the ferocity of New Zealand’s victory over South Africa on Saturday but Jones insists his side are aiming to peak for their final two Pool C games against Argentina and France.

Ferguson addressed the England squad as a surprise guest speaker during a training camp in Bristol in June, and Jones said the former Manchester United manager’s insight into how he inspired his side to score late goals, in what became known as ‘Fergie time’, would be critical in Japan.

“The message was be patient and that’s what I enjoyed about our team, there was no sign of panic and they kept on playing good rugby and the try came,” said Jones. “It might have been easier if it [the bonus-point try] had come a little bit earlier, but it came and that’s a good sign.

“Whenever you get great people in, they make an impact. And you pick up one or two things. And that particularly resonated with me more so. I’m sure the players picked up on it.”

Maro Itoje, an Arsenal supporter, said Scotsman Ferguson’s first reaction was “what the hell am I doing here?” when he began speaking to the England squad but said the players were in awe of his advice.

“It was very cool. Sometimes when you hear of and see figures when you are growing up, they almost don’t feel real,” said Itoje. “He didn’t tell us when he was coming in. So he walked in to the room and everyone almost swallowed some spit. It was: it’s actually him. Just being able to meet him and talk to him — the stories he had were amazing. I think we took a lot out of it.”

England have little time to address their shortcomings as they face the United States in Kobe on Thursday, with a number of changes expected as Jones rotates his squad to manage the workload.