Share

England in the 'right place' to win Rugby World Cup - George

Miyazaki - Leaner, meaner and better prepared than for their disastrous 2015 World Cup, England have the tools to capture rugby's top prize, hooker Jamie George warned on Sunday.

The English have waited four years to banish the nightmare of the last World Cup, and George believes they could go all the way in Japan after being meticulously prepared by Eddie Jones for what looks like being a wide-open tournament.

"He's not giving us too many messages now," George told reporters at England's training base in Miyazaki.

"The messages have been sort of drilled into us for the last four years really. When (Jones) first came in, he said to you and he said to us that we're here to win the World Cup in four years," he added.

"We're in that place now, so I think we're in a good position to go out and do that."

England, who in 2015 famously became the first hosts to crash out of the World Cup's group stage, have been drawn alongside France and Argentina in Pool C.

But while they hope to emulate England's 2003 vintage, still the only northern hemisphere team to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, George insisted the players were not looking beyond their opening game against Tonga in Sapporo on September 22.

"We've got a lot of hard work to go in order for us to get there," said the Saracens hooker, who has made the number two jersey his own over the past season.

"We're not thinking too far ahead. Everything that we're focused on is on ourselves, mostly this week - and we'll look ahead to Tonga next week."

Jones has said he wants his players to be ready for North Korean missiles, earthquakes and even bad sushi.

England held a heat camp in Italy over the summer and part of the reason Jones chose the southern coastal resort of Miyazaki for England's World Cup base was to further acclimatise for the humidity that is likely to have an impact on teams during the tournament.

"A lot of acclimatisation happened in Treviso," said George, noting England could even play under a closed roof in Sapporo.

"During training here obviously the humidity is pretty high. Regardless of whether we play with the roof on or off, we're not too bothered about it."

George, whose contributions at the lineout and as a ball-carrier will be key, revealed that players were dipping balls in water buckets to simulate slippery game conditions, but shrugged: "You've just got to make sure you grip it and hope for the best!"

England are still sweating on the fitness of Mako Vunipola (hamstring) and Jack Nowell (appendix) and will not want to pick up further injuries against Tonga before facing the United States in Kobe just four days later.

Tonga were smashed 92-7 by world champions New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up recently, but England defence coach John Mitchell predicted the Pacific islanders would bounce back strongly.

"They're very hard-working people and obviously very passionate when they do play for Tonga," he said.

"They're representing a small island that's produced a lot of very good rugby players, so it's going to be a special occasion for them and something that will lift them."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Glasgow Warriors 0
Sharks 0
loading... Live
North West 40/0
Warriors RSA 145/7
loading... Live
Titans RSA 26/0
Lions 154/8
loading... Live
Western Province 173/4
Boland 54/4
loading... Live
Ulster 0
Cardiff Rugby 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE