In theory it should be the greatest mismatch in the history of sport. If they were boxers, any sane doctor wouldn’t even let them get in to the ring togther. But this afternoon, under the roof in Melbourne, it’s Jonny Wilkinson versus Earl Va’a. The millionaire takes on the pauper. The obsessive kicker against a man who practices “perhaps an hour a week”.
But, and this is a big but, Samoan fly-half Va’a claims to have God on his side.
Physical education teacher Va’a, 31, has a wife and four children back in Wellington, New Zealand, where he spent six years playing Rugby League.
Last November, he actually replaced Wilkinson for a month at Newcastle while Jonny was off on international duty, though he admits: “The fans never took to me. I think they missed Jonny.”
Va’a is everything Jonny isn’t.
He sports a large golden ear-ring, he intends to quit rugby after this World Cup and says of today’s rival: “Jonny is not just the world’s greatest kicker but the best all-round fly-half in the world.
“He hasn’t just got a kicking game anymore, it’s his ability to spot gaps, put other players in the hole, to know when to run, when to kick.
“For such a young player, that’s remarkable. Jonny seems to be a player who learns from his mistakes. It’s told over the last couple of years. Against South Africa he kicked beautifully, but he still criticised himself for his performance.”
Va’a has a somewhat different approach. He grins: “I’m not like him. How much kicking do I do? The honest truth, I would probably practice about an hour a week. That’s just my relaxed, easy-go-lucky sort of way. I take kicking seriously but as opposed to other kickers, when I feel in the groove, I think: why go on any longer?
“Personally Jonny’s life would drive me mad. Outside of training at this World Cup, I like to play a little golf, go shopping, take in a movie.
“Wilkinson’s paid millions to be here. I’m paid peanuts. But even money wouldn’t change me.
“I wouldn’t do what Jonny does. He’s single, I’m married with four kids, I give as much time as I can to them.
“That’s just the way I am. Different strokes for different folks.”
While Wilkinson has so far made every kick attempted (12 out of 12 against Georgia and Sout Africa) Va’a confesses to the odd glitch “In this tournament, I was 3 from 6 against Uruguay and and 7 from 9 against Georgia. It’s not 100 percent, you can do the maths!
“But I’m not intimidated by playing against Wilkinson and England. Not at all.
“Of course we can win it. It would be silly to go out there not believing. It depends how we use the ball.
“We’ve looked at videos. Any weaknesses? They’re a well-oiled team. I think they’re probably the best defensive team in this World Cup and have been for some months now.
“They’ve got a whole team of specialists behind them, we’ve just got our two coaches. We have to try to cause an upset.
“We’ve got no money. We get a weekly allowance but we can’t compete with the cash the big nations are paying.
We always knew we wouldn’t be on million dollar contracts. We’re not overly happy about that, but it’s no surprise.”
Then Va’a drops the retirement bombshell: “I’ll call it a day after the World Cup. I’m 31, it’s time to concentrate on my teaching and my family. They’ve followed me all over the place. It’s no use dwelling on what we could have had.”
So how can a man heading for retirement with a team paid peanuts hope to overcome the best side in the world?
Va’a has the answer. Instantly. Prayer.
He says: “We have prayers regularly during the week, all of us, management and players. We have bible readings and prayers, sermons about the readings. It’s a part of who we are, our Christian beliefs, our singing voices.
“Saturday night we’ll have team prayers and a bit of a talk from the captain. On Sunday morning, the boys will go to their own churches.
“Christianity. That’s what we’ve got. Our belief in God. He’s got a path for us. Whatever it is, we will accept.
“I’ve noticed England have picked a strong team.
“But anything can happen with us. A lot of our tries just come out of nothing. Clive (Woodward, the England coach) obviously recognises that.
“Our spiritual strength can be stronger than your material strength. I came on in the win in Wales in 1999. The feeling we’ve got among ourselves now is better than that.
“This is the best time of my life. We believe that, with God’s help, we can win. Or we wouldn’t be here.”
Amen.