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Vickery On The Bench For Englands Must Win Match
Wednesday 26 September 2007 at 11:34  When England take to the pitch to play their crucial match against Tonga in the Rugby World Cup captain Phil Vickery will be on the bench.
Despite the well documented problems, England are receiving the backing of patriotic fans and as a result are favourites with odds of 1/12 with Paddy Power against Tonga with odds of 6/1.
However, that may be flattering England and underestimating the progress the Tongan team has made.
England were thrashed by South Africa, not even able to register a point. However, Tonga not only managed to score tries but kept the match tight with a final score of 30-25 in the Boks' favour.
The pacific islanders have so far beaten Samoa and the USA and will go into the match with confidence, spurred on by the possibility of a giant killing against the former colonial power.
England on the other hand will be nervous and will not want to face the embarrassment of a loss.
Coach Brian Ashton told the Independent: "Against these opponents, a momentary lack of concentration will cause major problems. Samoa discovered that much when they played them in Montpellier."
If Tonga do cause an upset and send England home healthy returns are possible on the winning margin, with a Tonga winning margin of one to five points priced at 15/1 with SkyBet and a margin of six to ten points priced at 33/1.
The corresponding margins in England's favour are priced at 9/1 and 7/1 respectively with Paddy Power.
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