Kobe (Japan) (AFP)

He has only 19 years and less than ten matches with professionals ... The "Toulouse" David Ainu'u will live a sacred baptism of fire on Thursday for his World Cup debut with the United States against England and its pillar Dan Cole.

In front of him, on the lawn of Kobe Misaki Stadium, the young player of Stade Toulousain (1.78 m, 122 kg) will indeed have a colossus of 1.89 m, which will celebrate his 91st selection with the XV of the Rose and has three entries at the World Cup.

Not to worry his coach Gary Gold. "He has made so much progress, it's undeniable, Toulouse had a fantastic season and, with coaches like William Servat, he learned a lot," said the Eagles coach.

"He's a very nice guy and a great player, he's going to have a fantastic career and I see him having more than 100 caps with the USA He's working hard, I can not wait to see him face to someone like Dan Cole, "he added.

A life-size test, therefore, for 19-year-old Ainu'u, who spent two years playing football at the Rugby World Cup.

"We did our research but it's hard to know before we've really faced it, I've seen videos, it looks solid but we'll see on the field," Cole said.

Spotted with the United States U20 selection, during a series of matches in Marcoussis, he landed on the banks of the Garonne in December 2017. Before discovering the Top 14 last season, in September 2018 during a severe defeat in Montpellier (66-15).

In Toulouse, he is described as "charming boy, very humble and hardworking". He is still considered a "hope" but he still got a little playing time during the epic Red and Black (125 minutes in total, 5 league games, one in the European Cup).

That did not prevent him, two months after his pro debut, from being summoned by the USA team, with which he now counts 8 selections. And soon a ninth, facing the "Tiger" Dan Cole.

© 2019 AFP