Fired-up Tongans on revenge mission

Epi Taione is one of only two members of the present Sea Eagles squad to survive from that campaign - the other is scrum-half Sione Mone Tu'ipulotu - and he remembers it as the lowest point in the country's rugby history.

The former Sale and Newcastle centre was only 20 at the time and had to watch from the replacements' bench as his team-mates were humiliated.

"We just wanted a hole to swallow us up," he recalled. "As replacements we were helpless."

Taione was so dejected that he joined the rebels who got showered at half-time and informed the management they were going on strike.

Heated arguments followed and the mutineers were persuaded back on to the pitch, only for England to run up a century of points in the 101-10 victory.

According to Taione, attitudes changed that autumn afternoon. The Tongans may still be surviving on a meagre £50 a week allowance from their home union and be forced into stunts like yesterday's when they were persuaded to dye their hair green to earn some money from an Irish bookmaker, but they have now adopted a whole new professional attitude.

He added: "Because of that experience, it is something personal for the two of us that we want to do better this time around."

Better they are doing, as victories over the United States and Samoa and a five-point defeat by South Africa are testimony.

They may only have 5,316 players to call upon compared to England's 147,944 but most of the starting XV are now professional.

England's defence of their trophy had been thoroughly unprofessional until the boot of Jonny Wilkinson got working again, recording 24 points in the 44-22 victory over Samoa.

Australia, the team waiting for the winner of this final pool match in the quarter-finals in Marseille, carry the tag of worst defending champions, having lost to England in the last eight in 1995. But Brian Ashton's team will beat that unwanted record if they lose tonight.

Tonga pose a potent threat at Parc de Princes because they have a genuine love of the forward battle. The scrum is solid, they compete at the lineout and have one of the outstanding back-row units in the tournament, headed by Nili Latu, their fearless open side who hunts alongside Finau Maka and the wonderfully named Hale T-Pole.

They also recognise the main danger in the England team, with Maka saying: "If we keep hold of the ball then Jonny can't do his magic."

Latu added: "We watched Samoa against England and Jonny controlled the game, but rugby takes 15 players. We're strong, we're calm under pressure.

"We will continue to play the way we've been playing. We'll get opportunities to score, so it's in our own hands to take them."

Tonga insist they will not try to rough up Wilkinson. He was the target of two dangerous high tackles from Samoan centre Brian Lima, who was handed a three-week ban for trying to take the No10's head off.

Wilkinson knows he should try to avoid unnecessary physical contact, particularly against 20st Tongans, but he can't stop himself. A natural desire to test himself in big matches takes over.

The England management will close their eyes every time Wilkinson tackles a Tongan but the outside-half is just displaying the same natural rugby reaction that makes the islanders so good. Take this out of Wilkinson's game and he would be a different player.

England have opted to keep captain Phil Vickery and Lawrence Dallaglio on the bench and they represent a potent cavalry charge if the game is proving beyond the starting XV. Both are desperate to show they deserve to start big games, and they don't come more important than this one.

I take England to book that re-match with Australia four years after the 2003 final and prove they are still a top-eight country.