England coach Brian Ashton has "total confidence" in his players keeping their World Cup aspirations alive when they face Tonga in Paris this weekend.

England is faced with a simple equation - beat Tonga at Parc des Princes or lose and pack the bags for home.

Never before have the defending champions been bundled out before the quarter-finals in the five previous Rugby World Cups.

"If we don't win this game, we go home," Ashton said.

"I think Tonga are probably a stronger side at the moment than Samoa, and it is going to be a tough game.

"But there is a sense of anticipation, as opposed to anxiety, this week. I think it is fair to say all the players are really anticipating the match.

"I have got total confidence in the 22 players who are going out there tomorrow night that they are going to do the job."

Ashtons also says he expects a far stronger challenge at the set-piece from the Tongans than which Samoa managed, having been particularly impressed with skipper Nili Latu and No 8 Finau Maka.

"We've looked at them very closely, and certainly Maka and Latu, their defensive work and handling of the ball in this competition, we haven't seen anything better," said England captain Martin Corry.

"It would be wrong to single out those two if you look at the pack, their line-out play, their line-out drive, the way they pick and go and the way they turn slow ball into fast ball.

"They've posed a lot of problems for every single team in the group by doing that. That is something we have to stop because it is a real threat.

"We are going to have to win the game, and we expect to win the game, but that is taking nothing away from Tonga.

"They are coming into this game full of confidence, but we are just focusing on ourselves.