Rugby World Cup: England’s Sapporo hotel hosting beer festival from 8am every day as players gear-up to face Tonga – The Sun

ENGLAND'S World Cup preparation could be rocked by a BEER FESTIVAL at the team hotel.

Eddie Jones and his squad launch their glory bid on Sunday against Tonga in Sapporo.

But they face disruption and security fears as boozy punters pour into the team HQ today for a three-day celebration that runs from 8am until 11pm.

Sapporo is renowned as Japan's beer capital and England's Premier Hotel Tsubaki is hosting the festival in its Lobby Lounge, with an open invitation to all rugby fans.

Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said: "Beer is our common bond. Sapporo is the home of the brewing industry in Japan.

"I have heard people from the UK love beer, so I'm sure they will become fans of Sapporo after they sample our tasty local brews.

"Visitors will have the chance to enjoy a drink or two with the locals."

Jones, however, will not be happy at the disturbance as his players try to prepare for the biggest game of their lives.

And England defence coach John Mitchell warned Tonga to expect a "brutal" clash.

The former All Blacks star said: "It excites us, being brutal. It is what we are about.

"It is something we embrace and it is important to our players, as Englishmen playing in that white jersey, to have that presence.

"The game will have huge intensity at the start. We like to be physical but you've got to remain stable and calm.""If you stay stable and calm then you have the ability to stay connected."Mitchell hones his white wall of defence against attack coach Scott Wisemantel in training.And Eddie Jones' staff have been competing for cups of coffee in training when they go head-to-head.Wisemantel said: "We play for cups of coffee. If I win, it’s his shout. Every session. I would like to say I’m winning."The way I judge it and the way Mitch judges it are very different, then Eddie chimes in to keep the creative tension! It’s competitive."Mitchell added: "I probably owe him a view."I’m probably a little too kind on him, the fact I underlay the defence enough for him to win from time to time. I’ve always got to try to get our group to win with less numbers."That’s the important thing with coaching these days."Because you don’t have as much time and you’re mindful of training load, you’ve then got to try and find a way to get attack and defence done at the same time, whilst still replicating what the game is going to be like."We have to be in communication often in terms of developing our practices."England vs Tonga FREE – Live stream, TV channel, kick-off time and betting odds for Rugby World Cup match

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