Tuesday 15 September 2015 21:33, UK
Courtney Lawes is expecting a fierce physical confrontation when England face Fiji in their World Cup opener.
Stuart Lancaster's side, who are second favourites behind New Zealand to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy, kick off their Pool A campaign at Twickenham on Friday.
Most observers are predicting a three-way battle between England, Wales and Australia to emerge from the 'pool of death' but Fiji are a dangerous opponent and capable of causing an upset.
Gifted trio Vereniki Goneva, Nemani Nadolo and Niko Matawalu provide the stardust in a well-prepared Fijian squad that has been hailed internally as the finest in the nation's history.
Fiji are renowned for their physical approach but have sometimes struggled to sustain that for 80 minutes and that is a weakness Lawes believes England can exploit.
"Fiji are among the most physical teams in the world, especially in the first half," said the Northampton lock. "But they tire quicker than other teams - you can't be that fast and that powerful and sustain it.
"I don't mind a tackle. We've got no problems with Fiji being physical; every team is physical these days. There are no pushovers in international rugby. We always put our bodies on the line and especially at a home World Cup. People would not expect anything less from us.
"We have to ride the early storm, make sure we keep up with them physically in the early collisions. Hopefully our game plan will tell towards the end."
With their rich Sevens history, Fiji are a team that likes to play expansive rugby but England coach Lancaster believes England will hold a significant advantage when it comes to set pieces and it is there he sees the game being won.
"These games take 80 minutes. If we can play for the full 80... Fiji haven't played against a northern hemisphere team for a while," Lancaster said.
"We have to make sure we use our effectiveness in the scrum for the full 80 minutes because obviously they will have to make their substitutions in that area too. We certainly see that as an area we can go at that them, along with line-out drive and maul."
Lawes, a veteran of the disappointing 2011 World Cup, hopes to be at his destructive best on the pitch while using his experience to deal with the expectations that surround the competition.
"It's not my first World Cup, although this one is at home. It's big, but then any World Cup is big. I have a fair few caps now and I know not to get too carried away," added Lawes.
"You have to be thinking clearly in stressful conditions, so I'm trying to add to the team that way - by keeping everyone composed and not allowing things to get too heated.
"We'll stick to our game plan. We can't be loose and start chucking the ball around because that's exactly what Fiji want.
"Fiji have very big, athletic players. They've been given structure, so it will be a brilliant challenge and a great way to kick the tournament off."
