Wing Jonny May says there is genuine reason to believe England can achieve something special at the World Cup in Japan.

England kick off their campaign against Tonga in Sapporo on Sunday, followed by pool matches against the USA Eagles – who is coached by Gary Gold – Argentina and France.

The 29-year-old May, who has been one of England’s most consistent performers since Eddie Jones took over as head coach, is adamant they can clinch the Webb Ellis Cup.

‘We really have got lots of brilliant players, lots of diverse players,’ May said. ‘For me the belief is genuine that we can beat anybody if we are at our best and I genuinely believe we are going to peak at this World Cup.’

‘I genuinely can’t talk up my teammates enough in terms of we have got players who can take the ball to the line and make decisions, we have got players who can run over people, we have got players with speed, we have got left-foot options.’

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May explained that Jones has made it clear that he will select a team to beat the opposition on that day and that everyone understood their roles and it was about being the best versions of themselves.

‘It is an achievement being here but the goal is to go beyond that and we want to win it.

‘Do other teams have great players? Of course they do. Are the games against other top teams going to be close? Of course they are.

‘It is going to be fine margins on the day. It is a tight tournament, 100% it is a tighter tournament in terms of how competitive it is going to be than any other World Cup I’ve seen.

‘So it is going to come down to who produces it on the day and who is most ready for it and certainly mentally as well who can handle it. It is going to be a huge test but I feel like this group of players is ready for it.’

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