• Tuilagi crosses twice before George and Cowan-Dickie score
How crafty of England not to raise their followers’ Rugby World Cup hopes too high too soon. Not even their most diehard fan could possibly claim this as the most exhilarating spectacle of the opening weekend, give or take two first-half tries inside eight minutes from a fit and charging Manu Tuilagi against a side who conceded 92 points to the All Blacks this month. If Eddie Jones’s team do end up enjoying a successful campaign, this game will not feature much on the highlights reel.
If not conceding a try for the second Test in a row clearly qualified as a positive, England will need rather more in the way of rhythm and accuracy if they intend to qualify ahead of both Argentina and France at the top of Pool C. Their next opponents, the United States, may also wonder if a glimmer of an opportunity awaits them in Kobe this Thursday. If this was the best available English combination, or close to it, might there conceivably be an opportunity to make American rugby great again?
Written by Robert Kitson at the Sapporo Dome
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/22/rugby-world-cup-england-tonga-match-report under the title “Tuilagi double helps England kick off with bonus-point win against Tonga”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
