‘Kamikaze Kids’ set for huge showdown with Wallaby wonders

ENGLAND’S ‘Kamikaze Kids’ face Australia’s feared ‘Pooper’ combination in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final admitting the Wallabies duo served as inspiration when growing up.

Tom Curry and Sam Underhill played together for the first time in the record win over Ireland in August and their impact at the breakdown, when carrying and in defence has seen them installed as Eddie Jones’ preferred flankers.

At Oita Stadium they will collide with David Pocock and Michael Hooper, the veteran twin opensides who have operated in tandem to great effect since 2012, amassing 180 caps between them.

Comparisons have been drawn between the rival back rows and Underhill understands why.

“We’re very much looking forward to it,” said the Bath forward, who is one half of the pair dubbed ‘Kamikaze Kids’ by Jones in recognition of the destruction they cause in training. You want to challenge yourself against the best on the world and it’s fair to say they’re two world-class opensides.

JOE Schmidt admits Ireland’s maiden two victories over New Zealand have denied his side the element of surprise in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.

Ireland stunned New Zealand 40-29 in Chicago in November 2016, for their first-ever win over the All Blacks, in 111 years of trying.

Head coach Schmidt’s men then pulled off a first win over New Zealand in Dublin in November, with Jacob Stockdale’s try sealing a 16-9 Aviva Stadium triumph.

New Zealand have recalibrated their approach into a twin-playmaker system in part in the wake of those two Ireland losses, and Schmidt knows that could ultimately now leave the All Blacks an even tougher prospect this weekend.

“We’re certainly not going to sneak up on them any more; we’re not going to surprise them,” said Schmidt.

“I think they are well aware of how we play and what they are going to do to combat that, and what they are going to put into their own armoury to make sure that we are chasing

HOOKER Malcolm Marx has been left out of the South Africa starting XV to face Japan in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

The 25-year-old, a nominee for World Player of the Year award in 2018, is on the bench as Mbongeni Mbonambi starts. Wings Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi both start, with Handre Pollard at 10 and Damian de Allende at 12. Second row Lood de Jager, who will move to Sale after the tournament, is also included. Coach Rassie Erasmus has named the same starting XV that beat Italy 49-3 in their penultimate pool match, after a second-string side swatted aside Canada 66-7 to

OITA

Sat, 08.15 BST

ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA

“They’re players who Tom and I when we were growing up and coming through looked at and inspired to be like, so it’s a bit surreal to be coming up against them now.”

Teenager Jordan Petaia will start at outside centre for Australia. The 19-year-old becomes the first player born this century to feature in a Rugby World Cup knockout game.

ENGLAND: E Daly; A Watson, H Slade, M Tuilagi, J May; O Farrell, B Youngs; M Vunipola, J George, K Sinckler, M Itoje, C Lawes, T Curry, S Underhill, B Vunipola. Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie, J Marler, D Cole, G Kruis, L Ludlam, W Heinz, G Ford, J Joseph. AUSTRALIA: K Beale; R Hodge, J Petaia, S Kerevi, M Koroibete; C Lealifano, W Genia; S Sio, T Latu, A Alaalatoa, I Rodda, R Arnold, D Pocock, M Hooper (capt), I Naisarani. Reps: J Uelese, J Slipper, T Tupou, A Coleman, L SalakaiaLoto, N White, M Toomua, J O’Connor.

TOKYO

Sat, 11.15 BST

NEW ZEALAND v IRELAND

them about. But I wouldn’t be a great believer in that you learn more from your losses, you learn more from every experience.

“There are so many variables that go into a result in a Test match that I learn from every win, loss or draw that we have, just because you get that little bit more information about an individual player, or how this sequence works or how that defensive map went at that time.” IRELAND: Kearney; Earls, Ringrose, Henshaw, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best, Furlong, Henderson, James Ryan, O’Mahony; Van der Flier, Stander. Replacements: Scannell, Kilcoyne, Porter, Beirne, Ruddock, McGrath, Carbery, Larmour.

NEW ZEALAND: B Barrett; Reece, Goodhue, Lienert-Brown, Bridge; Mo’unga, Smith; Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Retallick, Whitelock; Savea, Cane, Reid. Reps: Coles, Tuungafasi, Ta’avao, S Barrett, Todd, Perenara, Williams, J Barrett.

TOKYO

Sun, 11.15 BST

JAPAN v SOUTH AFRICA

secure second spot in Pool B.

Marx is one of three players who were picked to start the meeting with New Zealand on the tournament’s opening weekend, but have fallen out of favour.

SOUTH AFRICA: Le Roux: Kolbe, Am, De Allende, Mapimpi; Pollard, De Klerk, Mtawarira, Mbonambi, Malherbe, Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi (c), Du Toit, Vermeulen. Replacements: Marx, Kitschoff, Koch, Snyman, Mostert, Louw, H Jantjies, Steyn