FOUR days out from the match of their lives and the theme at the England camp was dealing with brutality.
When facing up to South Africa’s bruise brothers, violence has always been a watchword.
For England’s defence coach John Mitchell, the mind went whirring back a quarter of a century, when a hulking Springbok lock called Adrian Geldenhuys floored him with a ‘beauty of a punch’.
Former New Zealand boss Mitchell, who was playing for Waikato, said: “I played against the Springboks on their 1994 tour. I got belted and we got belted as well.
“It was a guy called Adrian Geldenhuys. He had octopus arms, I think. He got me a beauty.
“I didn’t give him one back because the final whistle blew. But I did see him in a lift in Pretoria a year ago!
“When I have watched the Springboks as a kid, played against them and coached against them, you know they were the one side in the world who can create physical pressure like no other team.
“But now there is another team who can create that physical pressure — and that is us.”
‘SAME INTENSITY NEEDED’
England may have dethroned the back-to-back world champion All Blacks with an epic display in last weekend’s semi-final.
But while New Zealand were no pussycats, South Africa present a unique physical challenge in Saturday’s World Cup Final.
Boss Eddie Jones has demanded ‘brutality’ from his troops as, one by one, they tame the big beasts of southern hemisphere — first Australia, then the All Blacks and now, they hope, South Africa.
And England No. 8 Billy Vunipola said: “When coaches throw words like brutality at you, you have to back it up.
“We have been challenged again to bring the same intensity this weekend as they have some big players.”
England’s campaign has been characterised by the big hits of Maro Itoje and the ‘kamikaze kids’ — flankers Sam Underhill and Tom Curry.
And asked to explain the impact of such juddering blows, Vunipola said: “The best way to explain it is that it’s quite contagious.
“When a team-mate makes one, it shows everyone it can be done, so everyone else just tries to follow in the slipstreams of Underhill, Curry and Maro.
“A lot of people talk about it and it’s easy to sit here and say, ‘We want to be brutal’.
“But you have to back those words up and those guys are probably the best at leading that area.
“The All Blacks have been the best in the world forever and that physicality has helped them get to that stage.
“We set out wanting to be the best in the world and we have to back up what we did last week. It can’t just be a fluke.
‘PICK MY SHOTS BETTER’
“Now the challenge has been laid out by South Africa — as you saw them taking Japan apart, and Wales.
“The challenge is going to be up front so we are going to have to be there, both mentally and physically.
“South Africa have already said they want to fight fire with fire and I guess we return it by saying, ‘Bring it on’.
It is a final and one of those things you have to front up to.
“One of their biggest assets is physicality and that is something we have been working on.”
England know discipline will be key if they are to lift the Webb Ellis Cup on Saturday.
Skipper Owen Farrell was lucky to escape a red card when the two finalists last met, in a single-point victory at Twickenham last autumn.
And lock Courtney Lawes insists he has matured into a thinker, rather than a fighter.
Lawes said: “I don’t generally like to get too carried away, too hyped up. I hit better and tackle better when I’m clear thinking — I put myself in better positions.
“If you run around like a headless chicken you can’t affect the game as much as you want to.
“So it’s better to be composed, to know where you need to be and get yourself there.
“That certainly comes with experience. I certainly pick my shots better nowadays. I learned that through picking up avoidable injuries when I was younger.”
Another problem the England players are battling is the demand for final tickets from family friends — a task which Billy Vunipola has delegated to his brother and team-mate, Mako. He said: “I’ve got a massive family and my brother deals with it.
“I do feel sorry for him sometimes. He is the admin point so if you want tickets, just ask my brother.
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“Family are massive but they can be a distraction — tickets, giving you pointers on how to play rugby . . . my auntie is always great for that.
“She’s trying to tell me how to play No 8 and giving my brother a few pointers as well!
“Their support is so important to us but things can also be a distraction. We’re trying to lock in on Saturday and see how we can come out firing.”