England vs Tonga LIVE: Rugby result and reaction from 2021 autumn international fixture today
Follow all the latest updates from Twickenham as Eddie Jones’ side begin their autumn campaign
England responded to the loss of captain Owen Farrell to a positive Covid test by overwhelming Tonga 69-3 in their Autumn Nations Series opener.
The first 82,000 full house at Twickenham for 20 months because of the coronavirus pandemic noisily celebrated a 11-try rout led by Jonny May, Ben Youngs and Jamie George, who each crossed twice.
Victory was completed despite a disrupted build-up that saw Farrell withdraw as fly-half and captain after testing positive for Covid with confirmation of his absence delivered only 90 minutes before kick-off.
George Furbank was promoted to chief conductor for his fifth cap and a rookie who is more accustomed to playing full-back rose to the occasion by showing several attacking flourishes until he was replaced by Marcus Smith.
The intention had been for Farrell and Smith to form a playmaking axis but Covid and Smith’s leg injury sabotaged that plan and instead the Harlequins prodigy had to wait until the 53rd minute to step off the bench.
Smith entered the fray at a time when England were becoming scruffy in the face of successful Tongan spoiling but his arrival gave Eddie Jones’ men a second wind and he picked a brilliant support line to finish a break by man of the match Henry Slade.
The 22-year-old’s afternoon was marred only when he was elbowed on the floor in the 70th minute by Viliami Fine, who was sent off as a result.
Anthems
A powerfully delivered version of “Ko e fasi ʻo e tuʻi ʻo e ʻOtu Tonga”, with the Tongan players draping hands across hearts.
And Twickenham joins in to add the punch of 82,000 or so to the soprano strains of “God Save the Queen”. The fans are back and, on that evidence, in fine voice.
Courtney Lawes heads the England line
An unexpected, but no doubt proud, moment for Courtney Lawes as he leads out England at Twickenham for the first time as he approaches 90 caps. England will be wearing their change strip but are clad in white jackets - Tonga just their sleeveless white jerseys.
Out come the players
Great flamethrowers and a giant Saint George’s Cross, as is custom, to welcome the players to the pitch. Tonga are out first, welcomed warmly by the crowd.
Marcus Smith gets a roar
A loud roar goes up as Marcus Smith’s name is announced ahead of kick-off. Safe to say the Harlequins ten is rather popular in this particular parish. He has barely trained this week but took a full part in the captain’s run yesterday - how long will Eddie Jones give him off the bench given he is probably in line to start against Australia next Saturday?
What to expect from Tonga
Tonga will hope to be better than they were against Scotland last weekend, bolstered by a group of returning players now free from club duty. They will likely look to play off nine a lot, with Sonatane Takulua picking his runners close in to try and punch holes around the corner.
They should be strong at scrum time, with two battle-gnarled props, and could be dangerous on the counter-attack - Leicester fans will need no introduction to Telusa Veainu’s flashing feet.
Twickenham fans back en masse
We’ve had fleeting glimpses of a Twickenham crowd over the last 18 months or so, with a brief dalliance with a return last December and a reduced number allowed in for the summer fixtures, but today is the first time that a full attendance is permitted.
Judging by a chaotic lunchtime on London’s public transport, they will be back in force, with a capacity crowd declared. There are rather large swathes of empty green seats at the moment, though with some slightly more onerous Covid-19 protocols on entry, and the chance to busy the bars of Twickenham for the first time in a while, it may just be a little slow to fill.
BREAKING NEWS - TEN MINUTE DELAY TO KICK OFF
The kick-off at Twickenham has been delayed slightly due to a late team arrival.
BREAKING NEWS - TEN MINUTE DELAY TO KICK OFF
The kick-off at Twickenham has been delayed slightly due to a late team arrival.
One to watch - Lopeti Timani
Lopeti Timani makes his second international debut having shifted his eligibility to Tonga by appearing in an Olympic Sevens qualifying tournament. Now of Toulon, he has been impressive for La Rochelle in the last few years and adds extra nous and punch to the pack.
But for injury, Malakai Fekitoa would have joined him in making a Test debut having also re-qualified via the same loophole, but the former All Black is absent. World Rugby are understood to be considering changing their eligibility criteria to be more lenient on players switching, so there may well be more Tongan-qualified players pulling on a red jersey before long.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments