Rugby World Cup

Tonga managed to hold the England onslaught in the the first 23 minutes as both teams were leveled at 3-all.

In an interview with World Rugby after the game, Piutau says their plan was to bring a lot of physicality to the game, but that was not enough to tackle England.

Flanker O’Mahony and centre Aki failed Head Injury Assessments (HIAs) in Ireland’s stunning 27-3 bonus-point win over Scotland in Yokohama on Sunday.

Head coach Schmidt revealed neither Ireland star was showing any concussion symptoms after their opening Pool A encounter – but was left to lament the coupling of a six-day return-to-play process with the same length of time to his side’s next match.

It took until the 77th minute to deliver the fourth try through Luke Cowan-Dickie that sealed a 35-3 win at the Sapporo Dome, but a laboured performance left plenty of areas for improvement.

More than 24 hours after the incident, citing commissioner John Montgomery of Scotland ruled Hodge had a case to answer following the tackle on flanker Peceli Yato which appeared to be high and involved no arms midway through the first half of Australia's 39-21 victory.

The 25-year-old Melbourne Rebels utility back will attend an independent judicial committee hearing in Tokyo but a date and time are yet to be determined.

The 'Ikale Tahi restricted England to four tries in the 35-3 defeat in Sapporo but were unable to breach their opponents' tryline, despite shading the possession stats and forcing their opponents into more turnovers, tackles and penalties conceded.

Coach Toutai Kefu said Tonga put in a much improved performance from their last showing against the All Blacks but struggled to make any inroads against the England defence.

The 2007 quarter finalists managed only one win apiece in the previous two World Cup campaigns but have been tipped as a genuine contender to make the knockout rounds in Japan.

The Wallabies were too strong for Fiji when they met in the pool stage four years ago but coach John McKee says his team has made massive progress since then.

"Our squad has probably been a bit more settled. Last time I came in just over a year out from the World Cup, so we were still working on our combinations going into the World Cup. I think this time we're much more stable around the team.

Vunipola will start Sunday’s Japan 2019 opener at No8 as the nations clash in only the third instalment of a narrative that began when Billy’s father and uncle ran out at Twickenham.

Fe’ao and Elisi were on the wrong end of a 101-10 hiding that day, but the occasion left a lasting impression on a wide-eyed six-year-old who was born in Australia but had spent long spells in Tonga.

The latest in a string of endorsements is evident in Sapporo, the host city for England’s tournament opener against Tonga on Sunday.

Posters display Jones in a blazer and open-neck white shirt, sat at a table on which sits a bottle of Japanese gin named ‘Roku’. Headlining the poster is the phrase ‘Eddie Recommend’. Roku gin is a part of brewing and distilling company Suntory, who are owners of the Sungoliath club that participates in the nation’s professional league.

Mr Pohiva, who died last Thursday in Auckland, was President of the Tonga Rugby Union at the time of his passing.

World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper offered his condolences to the 'Ikale Tahi team during Tonga's official welcome ceremony in Sapporo on Thursday, just hours after Mr Pohiva's state funeral was held in Nuku'alofa.

"Clearly he will be very sadly missed...there will be a moment's silence before your game on Sunday against England and both myself and the President of World Rugby (Sir Bill Beaumont) will be present to pay our respects."

The Flying Fijians played a trump card in announcing their team for Saturday's match in Sapporo by shifting the explosive Radradra to the left wing.

It's the same position where the former rugby league star was a five-season NRL sensation for Parramatta, scoring 82 tries in 94 games until 2017.

All of the 27-year-old's Test rugby appearances have been at outside centre and he has been primarily used there at French club Bordeaux.