Pool A:The Pacific champions are on a mission to restore pride after an untypically subdued and wholly unexpected defeat by Tonga, their head coach, Michael Jones, tells Richard Williams

Two weeks after watching his players open their World Cup campaign by giving South Africa a terrific fright, Michael Jones has been enduring the worst days in the history of Samoan rugby. Seeing his charges lose to Tonga on Sunday was bad enough, but the way they lost, seemingly without a fight, seemed to contradict everything the rest of the rugby-playing community has come to admire about their game.

"We hadn't lost to Tonga in seven years and we take a lot of pride in being the Pacific champions," Samoa's head coach said this week. "So for us to lose in the way we did at such a crucial time, in the biggest week in our lives, was very concerning. We've been trying to smile but we're hurting inside."

Now part two of the biggest week in their lives is looming, and with it the chance to redeem themselves through victory over a faltering England today.

Jones, 42, who redefined the art of the openside flanker while earning 55 caps for New Zealand between 1987 and 1998, is Samoan on his mother's side, a heritage that revealed itself when, as a devout Christian, he refused to play on Sundays, even in World Cups. He was assistant to the islanders' head coach, John Boe, in 2003, and since succeeding Boe he has spent the past four years preparing the team to repeat their World Cup achievements of 1991 and 1995, when they reached the quarter-finals.

"If we can do it right this week and go all the way to the quarters, no one's going to be worried about what happened last weekend," he said. "We're fortunate we've got a chance to turn it around in one week. We've done some soul-searching and spoken some home truths. The boys have bounced back and there's a lot of determination."

As he acknowledged, though, there will be two teams searching for redemption in Nantes today: "Probably in the big picture there's a bit more pressure on England, because of being the world champions, but for the little world that we represent it's desperate times. We just didn't front up against Tonga, and it was painful, but we'll gladly go through this pain if it helps us to beat England for the first time."

They came close enough in the equivalent pool match four years ago. Operating on a shoestring budget that precluded the presence of several of their best players, the Pacific islanders nevertheless scorched to a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes - when, according to Jonny Wilkinson, England were "chasing shadows" - and held a 22-20 advantage going into the final quarter before finally going down by 32-22.

"People talk about it a lot," Jones said when asked if that result would have any relevance this week, "but we won't be able to sneak up on them like we did last time. Four years ago they were playing really well and they probably didn't see us as much of a threat. So there may be some respect for us that may not have existed then.

"England are dangerous now because they're angry, and we're standing in the way of their quarter-final."

Jones, whose unfailing politeness and quiet-spoken humility are typical of Samoa's fearsome rugby men, was willing to concede that England's poor performances in their opening matches had been "a bit of an eye-opener". Nevertheless, he added, he still saw them as a threat in the tournament.

"They're a team that has a lot of good old heads. The last World Cup team was known as Dad's Army, but it worked in their favour. The old heads won them the World Cup.

"When they have a game plan and they stick to it and get in the zone, it's a real juggernaut and it's hard to beat. That could turn up on Saturday. If it does, it still has the potential to go all the way. And with Jonny back, it has a bit of the look of 2003."

Wilkinson, however, will be part of an untried spine running through the eight, nine, 10 and 12 positions.

"They've got time," Jones said. "If they can get that right this week they've got one more game against Tonga before the quarter-finals. But it's one of the areas that hasn't been tested, so we've got to try and do whatever we can to see if it's a weakness."

That "whatever we can" is certain to include the sort of industrial-strength first-up tackling in which Samoans specialise, but which Jones fears is being affected by new regulations aimed at reducing physical risk. Even a tackle aimed at the chest, he points out, can be made to look dangerous if the tackled player slips just before impact.

"We're having to change our style and tone down things, because it's crucial to avoid yellow and red cards, but it goes against the grain because it's part of our DNA to tackle hard. There's no malicious intent. It's just good, hard, physical tackling. If we don't get in big, strong, early hits, the opposition can get into their stride. They start thinking, 'Well, it's not as bad as we thought it would be.' That's what happened against Tonga.

"I understand that we're trying to ensure safety. We were pre-warned, there were clear lines on what was not acceptable, and we've had a few weeks to stress that with our boys. But it's interesting what Jerry Collins said about the game getting sanitised for young Pacific players. If it carries on, I'll be telling my son to go play rugby league. And if I were playing now, I think I'd go and play rugby league."

A man who would advise his son to give a sport a miss because it lacks sufficient physical impact is still, for all his gentleness of tone, a leader to be feared. When they take the field today, England will not be expecting to meet a soft touch.