England go into today's win-or-bust Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Australia with Billy Vunipola warning his team mates: “Turn up or we go home”.
For the first time since the Wallabies eliminated them from the last tournament in 2015, England face a straight knockout match.
Ireland have the same sudden death challenge against holders New Zealand in Tokyo, before Wales play France in the third of the quarter-finals tomorrow.
Four years of hard toil and painstaking preparation come down to 80 minutes in Japan and Vunipola was blunt when he addressed his team mates.
The Saracens star said: “I told the lads, ‘this could be our last session’. I said it just to check the boys and I had a few stares. They laughed it off, but I was, like, ‘I am being serious, if we don’t turn up, we are going home’.
England have not reached the semi-finals since 2007, losing a last-eight clash to France in 2011 and bombing out in the pool stages last time round.
Having won their last six matches against Australia they start as strong favourites despite not having played for a fortnight due to super typhoon Hagibis.
But they were so badly beaten by the Wallabies at Twickenham in the last tournament they they know not to take anything for granted.
Vunipola said: "You don't want to live in fairyland because you get to Sunday and it's done, and that's when the excuses come up.
“But if you just take it head on… we have talked about it already, made sure we know what the consequences are.
“We know if we can keep playing the way we have been playing, but just that little bit better, we will be in a good place.”
