Queen and Johnson get behind cup team

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ENGLAND’S RUGBY World Cup team will take the field today with messages ringing in their ears from both the Head of State and the Prime Minister.

The Queen’s words will be delivered to the players personally by her grandson, the Duke of Sussex, immediately before they walk out to face South Africa in the much-anticipated final at Yokohama’s International Stadium.

“Your performances during the tournament have delighted supporters, and inspired many people throughout the country,” the Queen says in her message.

She goes on to send “my congratulations to the England team, management and support staff on reaching the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, together with my very best wishes for a memorable and successful match”.

Harry is in Japan in his role as patron of the Rugby Football Union, and is expected to visit the national team in their changing room before the match.

He has already sent a good luck message of his own to England’s head coach, Eddie Jones, and his team, and attached to it a picture of his baby son, Archie, in a Red Rose jersey.

Harry, who played rugby at school and has remained a fan of the game, was at the stadium in Sydney when England beat Australia in the 2003 World Cup final, and appeared keen to repeat the experience.

Boris Johnson, meanwhile, identified today’s final – every “kick, ruck, lineout and maul” of it – as an event the whole country could get behind.

The Prime Minister said he was in “awe” at England’s semi-final performance and believed they could “go one better”.

Number 10 said Mr Johnson would watch the match with friends, putting on an England shirt and “cheering the team on alongside the rest of the nation”.

Like Harry, Mr Johnson is no stranger to rugby, and famously knocked over a schoolboy while playing the game in Japan during his time as Mayor of London.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was criticised for his absence from the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup at Twickenham, also wished the team well.

“I wish Eddie Jones, Owen Farrell and the whole England team good luck for the Rugby World Cup final,” he said. “You’ve done brilliantly so far – just one more game to go to finish the job.”

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