England on ‘Fergie Time’ in opening win over Tonga
Jones reveals a talk by Sir Alex was the inspiration as patience pays off
Eddie Jones revealed england’s late bonus-point siege against Tonga was inspired by a talk from Sir Alex Ferguson — who taught the players all about ‘Fergie Time’.
england were expected to run riot against tier-two Tonga but they had to wait until the 77th minute before securing a five-point victory, which could be crucial in Pool C.
Two tries from the superb Manu Tuilagi put an early smile on Jones’ face but the england coach later punched his desk in frustration at the accumulation of errors.
‘We came here to get five points and we got five points,’ said Jones. ‘We’ve got no injuries and we know we can play better.
‘during the lead up to the World Cup, one person we were lucky enough to have in was Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘One of the things his teams were renowned for was... what do they call it? Fergie time.
‘The message was to be patient and that’s what i enjoyed about our team out there. There was no sign of panic and they kept on playing good rugby and the try came.
‘The thing about the World Cup, having been to a few, is that it’s not a 100metres sprint. You don’t have to come out of the blocks and be absolutely fantastic now. We’ll keep improving.’
Ferguson (right) paid a surprise visit to a training camp in Bristol, where he shared some of the secrets behind his success with Manchester United.
england lock Maro itoje revealed: ‘He told us: “don’t shoot. When the pressure’s on, don’t shoot and you’ll find a way to get into a better scoring position”.
‘He didn’t like guys shooting outside the box when the pressure is on. i think we can take a lot out of that. When the pressure is on, it’s not about the elaborate play. it’s not about the 50-50. it’s about doing the right thing.’
england had to wait until three minutes from the end to snatch a bonus point, when Luke Cowan-dickie belatedly scored their fourth try.
it is fair to say that was not quite what they had in mind, but all the best-laid english plans went out the window, in the face of Tongan tenacity and spirit. Thousands of england supporters in the stands had come here expecting to see a Pool C whitewash. They thought that they would witness a walk-over — a try-drenched riot of well-drilled supremacy.
What they saw instead was a remarkable demonstration of backs-to-the-wall defiance from the tiny Pacific island nation.
in their previous match, Tonga had lost 92-7 against New Zealand in Hamilton.
Head coach Toutai Kefu said last week that he had been unable to pick up to 20 of the country’s best players, who were unwilling to jeopardise club contracts by coming to the Far east.
Just imagine what their best team might have done, because yesterday’s side were valiant in the extreme.
in the 80th minute, it was Tonga who were on the attack — pounding forward in search of the try that would have been just reward for so much hard graft and defiance.
england were the ones having to scramble in defence of their line. This wasn’t in the script.
Claiming the bonus point was a bottom-line requirement, in a pool also containing Argentina and France. it was supposed to be a formality but it was nothing of the sort.
When Anthony Watson burst out of his own half in the 74th minute and slalomed through the Tonga defence, it appeared that england would secure the vital fourth try in the nick of time.
instead, Henry Slade threw the ball behind elliot daly and into touch, leaving the pair exchanging words and stares of mutual frustration.
it was a passage of play which summed up the whole match from an english perspective; as flashes of class were swiftly undermined by elementary errors. Luckily for Jones and his players, another chance presented itself and this time they capitalised.
Jonathan Joseph went through a gap in midfield, drew the last defender and sent exeter hooker Cowan-dickie away to continue his recent scoring streak with the decisive try. The celebrations betrayed a
huge sense of
relief. In the bigger picture, there was some good news for England in the way Tonga made them fight every last step of the way.
At this rate, they will be well and truly battle-hardened by the time they reach the quarter-finals — which they surely will do. But they will know they need to be much better.
At least there was comfort to be gained from seeing Manu Tuilagi in vintage, rampaging mode.
The Leicester centre scored two tries before half-time — the first a driving finish through heavy traffic on the right and the second a routine run-in after Jonny May’s break down the left.
There was further comfort from seeing Itoje give yet another demonstration of his all-round quality. And from the way that Jones’ ‘Kamikaze Kids’, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, operated well in tandem again.
It was a strange game in the sense that several England players were good in patches but the team didn’t collectively function properly.
They were put under pressure and didn’t cope as they would have wished.
When the penalty-count against them reached five before the half-hour mark, the big screens in the stadium revealed Jones punching his desk and shouting angrily.
Tonga were expected to be cannon fodder but instead they fired big shots. Early on, flanker Zane Kapeli flattened Billy Vunipola with a brutal tackle and the shock was written all over the England No 8’s face. That just doesn’t happen to him.
But Kefu’s side also held up well in the set-piece contest and did not run out of steam in the closing stages. They would not go quietly. They were magnificent.
England’s lineout drive created a try for Jamie George just before the hour and when it came, the stage appeared to be set for a last-quarter onslaught, but it did not materialise.
Owen Farrell kicked 15 points and his team scored the four tries they needed but this was certainly no statement of intent. ENGLAND: Daly; Watson, Tuilagi, Farrell, May; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Lawes, Itoje, Curry, Underhill, B Vunipola. Substitutes: Slade (May 53), Joseph (Ford 68), Heinz (Youngs 56), Genge (Marler 50), Cowan-Dickie (George 58), Kruis (Lawes 56), Ludlam (Underhill 55). Not Used: Cole. TONGA: Halaifonua; Pakalani, Piutau, Vuna, Lolohea; Morath, Takulua; Fisiihoi, Sakalia, Tameifuna, Lousi, Fifita, Kalamafoni, Kapeli, Vaipulu. Substitutes: Tuitavake (Pakalani 41), Faiva (Morath 50), Fukofuka (Takulua 61), Talakai (Fisiihoi 63), Maile (Sakalia 61), Fia (Tameifuna 50), Faleafa (Fifita 72), Manu (Vaipulu 58). Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand).