Billy Vunipola’s presence clearly makes him as one of the premiere number 8s in world rugby. With his size and strength and it usually requires more than one tackler to bring him to the ground. Not so with Tonga’s Zane Kapeli, who smashed Vunipola dead in his tracks in their opening Rugby World Cup match.
England’s opening match was a special occasion for Vunipola, who is of course of Tongan heritage. However, that didn’t bond stop Kapeli from delivering one of the biggest hits of the weekend. It was definitely a sight you don’t see every day as the massive 8 is typically on the other end of the punishment.
Although Tonga were never going to pose much of a challenge for the boys in white, the island nation came to play. While Manu Tuilagi made most of the headlines, Kapeli will be remembered for this big shot on his fellow Tongan.
“It was alright actually, it took me by surprise a bit… It was probably my fault as well. I told Fordy to give me the ball. I gave him [Kapeli] the opportunity and he took it.”
Zane Kapeli SMASHES Billy Vunipola 💥#ENGvTGA #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/SU41A7CTnm
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) September 22, 2019
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