Wales face Martin Johnson’s men in an emotionally charged quarter-final in Brisbane in 12 days, and while England will start as heavy favourites, star Welsh centre Harris admits they have been given plenty of heart by the South Sea Islanders who famously beat Wales at the 1991 and 1999 World Cups.
And he reckons they exposed plenty of holes in the Six Nations champions’ armoury.
“I think the media built England up to be unbeatable but they are far from that,” the former rugby league star said.
“The World Cup is a different story – there’s a level playing field every time you play. If you get your tactics right then you have a chance of beating them.
“We’re confident going into the quarter-final. The key is playing the right game, make sure your passes stick and take your bit of luck. Hopefully, we will get some.
“Certainly there’s no point going into any match if you don’t think you can win,” Harris said. “All the pressure is going to be on them. We will just be able to go out and enjoy it.”
Wales coach Steve Hansen believes England have shown that they can handle that pressure, having thrown away the “chokers” tag of successive missed Grand Slams.
Hansen has never beaten Clive Woodward’s side in three attempts and was more guarded in his reaction to their uncomfortable time against Samoa.
“The key thing to come out of that match was how England absorbed all the pressure Samoa put them under,” he said.
“They’ve shown they can do that throughout the tournament. The previous week they were under the cosh against South Africa yet they came back to win easily and they did the same against Samoa.
“But Samoa deserve a lot of praise. Their commitment was fantastic and there is a lesson there for everyone, including the top teams.”
