You'll never guess the future England rugby hero, 9, pictured two decades before brink of World Cup glory

TOWERING over his fellow under-11 Wales team mates and looking sheepishly at the camera is nine-year-old Billy Vunipola – the future star of England rugby.

Fast forward 15 years and Vunipola, who won his 50th England cap against New Zealand, is one game away from leading Eddie Jones' side to World Cup glory.

Billy, 26, who starred in England's sensational 19-7 semi-final victory over New Zealand alongside big brother Mako, 28, has enjoyed a remarkable journey to the top.

The Vunipola brothers moved to the UK from Tonga in 1998 so their dad Fe'ao could take up a contract with Pontypool in South Wales.

The following year the boys supported their dad when he played hooker for Tonga against England at the 1999 World Cup, in a side skippered by their uncle Elisi.

Billy recalled: "I think mum was scared we would get lost, so we weren't allowed to let go of her hand. Twickenham seemed enormous.

"Mum was carrying my sister and me and my brother were holding hands. It was probably the last time we touched each other.

"She was so scared of us getting lost in the crowd. Coming from Tonga and going there was just scary. We were so used to everything being small."

Moving to Wales in the depths of winter was a world away from their early years spent on the white beaches of the South Pacific island.

Billy said: "We came in shorts and a T-shirt. We didn't know what to bring. We were carrying knives and forks in our luggage.

"We were given extra duvets, extra pillows, jumpers – all those little things. We were very naive when we first came over and didn't think it would be that cold."

Mako said: "I was eight years old and all I can remember from that first day in the UK was how cold it was.

"We moved into the only house on a building site and felt isolated, but once we started school and played rugby we began to make friends. We were both young enough to roll with it."

Billy stayed in Wales until he was 11, when the family moved to The Castle School in nearby Bristol.

Having moved to England, scholarships to Millfield and Harrow followed which removed any lingering allegiance to Wales.

When Billy arrived at Harrow, he was so huge he had to have a bed specially made for him in his boarding house, as well as an outsize uniform and straw boater.

After dominating the school circuit, the Vunipola brothers starred for England at youth level, with Mako destructive at prop and Billy as a rampaging number eight.

With more than 100 England caps between them, the brothers are now preparing for the biggest game of their lives, when England take on South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.

Their family are flying over from Tonga for the match in Tokyo to witness what could be the most glorious chapter in this most extraordinary journey.

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