England won't be late to their own party as officials confident London rush-hour will not delay Rugby World Cup opener arrivalĀ
- World Cup organisers confident England won't be late to Twickenham
- There had been concerns about the chaotic London evening rush-hour
- England are preparing to face Fiji in their World Cup openerĀ
- Rugby World Cup 2015: Click here for all the latest RWC news
- England vs Fiji RWC: Follow the first game of Rugby World Cup 2015 here
World Cup organisers are confident that England will not be late for their own grand occasion on Friday, despite recent problems on the congested route between their Surrey HQ and Twickenham.
All competing teamsā journeys to tournament venues have been meticulously planned and are subject to precise schedules. However, in the case of the opening fixture, the timetable will be tested by notorious Friday evening rush-hour traffic around London.
Last month, after the home warm-up clash with France, Sportsmail understands that England were significantly delayed on the way back to their Bagshot hotel when the M3 was closed due to a serious accident.
Stuart Lancaster is preparing to his side to face Fiji on Friday evening to open the World Cup
England are preparing to open their Rugby World Cup campaign at the magnificent TwickenhamĀ
The motorway provides the most direct route for the national team, but there are major road-works and a 50mph speed limit along the section south west of the M25. In addition, there is no hard shoulder. There is often gridlock in this area at the busiest times of day.
Stuart Lancaster and his squad will be escorted by two Police āpilotsā ā motorbike out-riders ā for their journey of around 20 miles, which would normally take around 40 minutes. The Police riders are not permitted to use their blue lights and sirens except in an emergency, and England running late for a big match would not be considered in that category. However, their very presence often serves to hasten the coachās progress.
Once they have negotiated the over-crowded M3, England will have clearance to travel along the āclosedā A316 to Twickenham, as will their opponents, Fiji ā who are coming from Weybridge, a similar distance away. The plan is for England to arrive at the stadium at 6.20 and Fiji to arrive 10 minutes later, ahead of the 8pm kick-off.
A tournament spokesperson said on Friday: āWe will get the teams there on time.ā Unlike during the Olympics, there are no āpriority lanesā on surrounding roads, but detailed contingency plans have been drawn up to cover all eventualities. For England, closure of the M3 in the midst of rush-hour would force them to undertake a longer journey via a more convoluted route.
Captain Chris Robshaw looked in good spirits as the England squad trained at Twickenham
James Haskell (centre) runs attached to a teammate during a warm-up exercise in a training session
Once the team arrive, they will both walk through the West Car Park and the Lion Gates into the changing-rooms. This was an initiative of Lancasterās designed to galvanise his players by bringing them into close contact with the home supporters, but as World Cup venues must be considered neutral, all teams playing at Twickenham will be deposited in the exact same place.
Englandās back-room personnel will be on site ahead of the team and coaches, to prepare the changing-room area. For an 8pm kick-off, the kit man is usually in position at Twickenham by around 3pm, followed by the medics and conditioning staff from 4pm. In years gone by, Jonny Wilkinson would often hitch a lift with these members of the Red Rose entourage, in order to go through a meticulous kicking routine before his team-mates arrived.
On-field preparations tonight will be complicated by the opening ceremony, which is due to run from 7pm, for 20 minutes. Organisers are urging supporters in the sell-out crowd of 82,000 to be in their seats by 6.30pm.
Sam Burgess, who is on the bench for the Fiji game, only switched to rugby union last yearĀ
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