By George! Tactical masterclass from England's Ford after Tom Curr red
MIKE BROWN: By George! Tactical masterclass from Ford after Tom Curry’s early red in England’s Rugby World Cup win over Argentina
- A tactical masterclass from George Ford helped England beat Argentina 27-10
- Northampton’s Alex Mitchell deserves credit for his performance at scrum-half
- Head Coach Steve Borthwick saw his bold team selection choices pay off in win
- Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results
What a relief for England to finally get back to winning ways — and what a tactical masterclass from George Ford to inspire it!
As soon as England went down to 14 men after Tom Curry’s early red card, it was always going to be tough to break through this Argentina side. Ford knew this and opted to keep the scoreboard ticking over with drop goals.
That frustrated Argentina. England’s defence squeezed them into errors and gained vital territory for the attack to create the space for Ford to weave his magic.
Alex Mitchell deserves credit for that, too. I was sceptical about his selection ahead of England’s two most experienced scrum-halves of all time in Ben Youngs and Danny Care, but he stepped up to the occasion.
Mitchell played with great tempo at the right time, looked assured and took the correct options of when to run, kick or pass. His quick ball to Ford was crucial to give him the time and space for the drop goals that won the match.
A tactical masterclass from George Ford helped England on their way to beat Argentina
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell played with great tempo, looked assured and took the right options
England came out firing. Their energy and physicality in defence was superb.
Curry’s sending-off galvanised them. I worried that it could have gone the other way, especially after all England’s recent discipline problems.
On the back of such abysmal results, it would have been easy for them to think, “Oh no, not again”, but, instead, with their backs to the wall, they thrived. When you win like that, it gives you a huge boost.
This team — finally — looks like it has some bite about it. I think that’s come from the siege mentality forged in the face of everyone writing them off. The early red card will only have added to that.
I feel for Curry. He’s been out for so long and found himself in such a tough spot just minutes into his return at a World Cup.
Player welfare is so important, especially for someone claiming the ball in the air, but Juan Cruz Mallia comes down towards him and I’m not sure what else he’s supposed to do in that situation other than dive out of the way and let him through!
Curry had no intention to hurt his opponent. I think a yellow card would have been fair, especially when you compare it to the challenge on Ford by Santiago Carreras that saw the Argentina fly-half allowed to come back on to the pitch.
It was great to see England’s forwards getting their mojo back too — they dominated despite playing nearly all the game with one less back-rower.
They bossed the breakdown. They bossed the scrum, winning nine of 13 during the match. I do wish Ben Earl would stop kicking it though!
I feel for Tom Curry after his very early red card against Argentina for head-on-head contact
Steve Borthwick’s team selection has been vindicated, and he’ll breathe a sigh of relief
England made nearly 150 tackles. Their defence was so solid and Argentina just could not find a way through. Steve Borthwick will take great pride and pleasure in seeing his side dig so deep when it really mattered.
There were a few things that made me scratch my head in the team selection, but Borthwick has been vindicated. I’m sure he’ll be breathing a huge sigh of relief because he’s been under a massive amount of pressure.
It wasn’t pretty but it was damn effective. And results like this one give not just the players but the fans something on which they can now cling onto for the rest of the tournament.
I had a feeling England would start with a win, and now they can really build on this. Hopefully, they kick on now and top the group.
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