Buoyant England vow no let up against Samoa

England manager Martin Johnson has warned his team against complacency as they bid to build on the record victory over Australia against Samoa today.

England’s stylish demolition of the Wallabies sent euphoria soaring to stratospheric levels, with Johnson’s emerging side now being talked about as possible contenders for next year’s World Cup.

Johnson, however, has been determined to keep his team’s feet on the ground and knows from experience that a physical Samoan side are more than capable of bringing England back to earth with a bump.

Samoa almost derailed England’s progress through the group phase at the 2003 World Cup, when the South Pacific islanders led England three times before eventually succumbing 35-22.

While both teams have changed beyond recognition in the years since, Samoa showed they are still capable of making life difficult for better-funded sides by restricting Ireland to a 20-10 scoreline in Dublin last Saturday.

With that in mind, Johnson is urging England to hit the ground running today.

“The trick is that we take care of our mindset. We have to go out there and get the tempo like we did last week,” Johnson said.

“It is about keeping the foot down. The key is having the right mindset. That is what good teams do – go out and play. That is what we are trying to do, become consistent.”

Although England face world champions South Africa in their final autumn international next weekend, Johnson has resisted the temptation to field a second string for the Samoa match.

Eleven of the team which started against Australia will line up against the Samoans. Captain Lewis Moody is rested to make way for South Africa-born Hendre Fourie, while Matt Banahan, James Haskell and David Wilson also come in.

Today’s fixtures: England vs Samoa; France vs Argentina; Ireland vs New Zealand; Italy vs Australia; Scotland vs South Africa.