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MONTPELLIER - It will be personal when combustible Tongan centre Epeli Taione bumps into some old faces in the England team at the World Cup in Paris on Saturday (NZ time).
At stake is a quarter-final place against the Wallabies in Marseille on October 7 and for Taione it's a confrontation he is looking forward to with relish.
England's record points scorer Jonny Wilkinson played alongside Taione when the duo, now both aged 28, were making their way as young players at Premiership club Newcastle.
"This is a personal game for me, to play against players I know," Taione said.
"There's no bigger moment for me to meet them. And it will be good to get one over on Mr. Andrew..... He is still very boring."
Rob Andrew as director of rugby at Newcastle brought the Tongan playmaker to the north-east club as a teenager.
Taione was quoted in English newspapers as saying Andrew, nicknamed 'squeaky' during his time as England's first-five because of his clean-living reputation, was "very astute, but dead boring".
"We're well aware that we're facing a different England side when it has Jonny Wilkinson in it," Taione said.
"They're world champions and they have improved from their first game. But we'll give it the best shot we have."
The Pacific island kingdom of Tonga, population of just under 120,000, is in a high state of anticipation for their national team's most important game yet.
"This is the biggest moment in our sporting history. We know that we have a lot of support and I know everyone will be cheering, including Scotland, Wales, every country ... maybe even Iraq," he said.
"Anywhere that doesn't like England will be wanting us to win."
Tonga's greatest rugby moment was upsetting the Wallabies 16-11 in Brisbane in 1973.
"It was big moment in 1973 for Tongan rugby but no one was around, unfortunately the team manager is not here and I don't want to talk about it," Taione said.
Taione parted ways with Sale last year following a three-month suspension for biting Ireland No 8 Denis Leamy during a European Cup tie against Munster in Limerick.
The ex-Newcastle and Sale flanker-cum-centre now plays his club rugby in Japan with Sanyo Wild Knights.
- AFP
