Samoa won’t temper aggression but this time it’s not personal

England’s World Cup bid was just minutes old when Billy Vunipola launched himself into contact off the back of a lineout and Tonga’s Zane Kapeli floored him with a tackle that landed the big No 8 flat on his arse.

Tonga had warned the Saracen about what was coming. Head coach Toutai Kefu had spoken pre-game about how his players would look to smash the 26-year-old of Tongan stock who had been born in Sydney, grew up in Wales and England and eventually chose to wear the Red Rose.