Billy Vunipola: The boy from the island tasked with putting his Tongan heritage aside for England’s cause

Vunipola will become the first family member to play against Tonga in England’s Rugby World Cup opener on Sunday

“At the moment I am not really enjoying the weather even though it is probably closer to the climate,” says Billy Vunipola, sheltered from the scorching Miyazaki heat. “Things like that remind myself that I am still the boy from the island. It is something that I will probably never waver from.”

The England rugby star is reflecting on his heritage. Not Australia, where he was born, or Wales where he grew up, but Tonga, the land of his mother and father and family before them. Vunipola has never been shy about discussing his blood line, in fact he is the opposite. He is proud to be a Tongan.

“Being in fancy places in London I know that it is not my place,” he adds.” Sometimes I get a rash on my arm from being in those places. I tell my wife that all the time.”

On Sunday, Vunipola will become the first family member to play against Tonga, with the irony being that father Fe’ao and uncle Elisi both played for the Pacific Island against England at the Rugby World Cup 20 years ago. It is not a strange feeling for the 26-year-old, given he is closing in on 50 international caps and very much feels as English as the rest of the squad after moving to the United Kingdom at the age of seven.

Yet there is something in the back of his head – a voice – that remains loyal to Tonga. It could play into his hands this Sunday, given he will have a good sense of what is flowing through the opposition’s veins, what is being said in their minds. It will be that same voice.

“I know because I have had the same mentality,” Vunipola adds. “They have a lot of pride. You can just go back through the history - Tonga has never been colonised and that is probably drip-fed down through to my dad and me.

“I know that my dad thinks they could have beaten England - even though they lost 101 to 10. That is just the way they are and that helps me a lot to prepare for games because I put myself in a position where I am second best, and I am always trying to be the best.

“Tonga will say all week that we don't respect them, but we do. We respect them a lot, but that gets them going - hopefully we show them more than enough respect in terms of how we play.

“It is my first time playing against Tonga. It is different to playing against Fiji because I am not Fijian. But I am Tongan, my parents are and my grandparents are so it will be very emotional just as much as anything else. I have to get my head right.”

Vunipola is one of four players in this England squad with Pacific Island heritage, joining elder brother Mako, Samoa-born Manu Tuilagi and Joe Cokanasiga, who was born in Fiji to a father in the British Army. Vunipola was also in the squad the day that the 2015 Rugby World Cup began, when a misfiring performance against Fiji rather set the tone for England’s shambles of a home campaign. There is of course the danger that it happens again in Sapporo.

“The difference between playing Tonga in the autumn and playing them now is that everyone is watching,” Vunipola explains. “It will be a different kind of beast altogether. They always go alright at World Cups, they always take a big scalp so we have to be prepared for that and be prepared for an onslaught of relentless physicality, but we have players who can play that way and players who can play the other way.

“2015 is a good reference point for us. How do we take the sting out of Tonga’s attack and everything else they use? But we have talked about that as a team a lot. How quick can we play, how long can we play for to try and tire them out?”

Somewhat surprisingly though, England will have a bit more support behind them than they would have expected. On Sunday afternoon, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a family will gather round a small, old-fashioned television box and cheer on the red rose against their own country.

Vunipola will start for England against Tonga in their opening Rugby World Cup match (Getty)

“My grandma and my aunty’s house is kind of a point where they go to watch the games together as a celebration. Whenever we are playing, whether that is at home for England or for my club, they will all be watching and supporting and messaging me or my wife. I’ll know about it if they are watching because they think it is all down to them that we are winning!

“It’s one of those box TV’s, you know with one coming out at the back. I don’t think they know what a flat screen is yet. They love it, although I don’t think they watch it too much unless it’s rugby or a fashion show.”

Family means a lot to Vunipola. In an interview with The Independent at the start of the year, he revealed it to be among the three keys to his life, alongside rugby and religion. The latter was placed above the other two as it is what he says has defined him to shape him into the man he is today. It also landed him in trouble when he defended Israel Folau, the former Australia rugby union player, for expressing his beliefs, even though Folau did that through a string of homophobic and hateful messages on social media.

Vunipola learned his lesson from that incident that landed him warnings from both club Saracens and the Rugby Football Union. It would be naïve to think that Vunipola has changed his beliefs as a result, but he is learning when and where to express certain things. “My biggest work on is keeping my head down. I’m much louder than my brother, I kind of just say what’s on my mind. That gets me into trouble a lot, but that’s the person I am, that’s how I grew up.

“My dad, my parents…and my brother to be fair [are quite hard on me]. I’ve got a few people who are telling me what to do. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I don’t. It just depends if I want to or not.”

Sunday will be another occasion where Vunipola will need to keep his emotions in check. The back-row forward expects to be targeted by the Tongan defence, given most other teams double-up on him anyway. But there will also be the emotion of the day in facing the nation that defines him, with family from the UK, USA and Australia watching on inside the Sapporo Dome along with his parents back home. England defence coach John Mitchell has no concerns over England’s colossal forward being targeted – “I think he is experienced enough to deal with it” – but it will be a special day regardless for the Vunipola family and one that the boy from the island has not had to deal with before.