WE CAN BE HEROES

ENGLAND fly to the Rugby World Cup in Japan tonight with Eddie Jones telling his players they can be heroes.

Four years ago, the Japan team coached by Jones sprang the biggest shock in tournament history by beating South Africa. The Brighton Miracle is now a major movie.

But today he will challenge his players to emulate Martin Johnson (left) and his England heroes of 2003 – and the cricketers of this summer – by winning their sport’s biggest prize.

“They can change the whole course of history,” Jones said. “We’ve already spoken about how England winning in 2003 impacted lives and we may touch on it again.

“The number of kids playing, the impact on their lives. World Cup winners get status benefits, they get financial benefits and they get their own personal happiness. So it’s pretty special.” Jones has acclimatised his team to the heat and humidity of Japan with two full-on heat camps in Italy. He has rehearsed every strategic option on the pitch while unsettling his players off it.

Over-training, under-training, arriving late at matches – whatever it takes to get them performing outside their comfort zone.

Above all, he has urged his 31-man squad to seize the opportunity of a lifetime over the coming weeks. Scrum-half Ben Youngs said: “He just said, ‘Boys, you’ve got the opportunity to be part of something that will be the most amazing thing in your life’. He made us aware of what the cricketers did at their World Cup and told us not to underestimate for a second what a chance we have to achieve something as a group – and inspire a nation back home when we’re out there.”