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Argentina lost their heads, England need to keep theirs - Andy Goode

By Andy Goode
There was a number of heated exchanges in the England v Argentina game.

Argentina lost their heads against England on Saturday and England will need to keep theirs if they are to achieve their goal and make it to Yokohama on November 2.

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It was supposed to be the first of five real Tests against top tier one opponents that England would have to win if they wanted to get their hands on the William Webb Ellis trophy but it didn’t turn out like that and I think it’s a blessing that they weren’t tested as much as expected.

It was still a physical game but won’t have taken as much out of them as it could’ve done and mentally it wasn’t as testing either so I think Eddie Jones will have been delighted with the way it unfolded.

It’s always going to be an intense and passionate game when Argentina face England because of the historical and political context and the Argentinians are a hugely passionate nation anyway.

Tomas Lavanini is given a red card by Nigel Owens
Tomas Lavanini is given his marching orders by Nigel Owens. (Photo by David Rogers / Getty Images)

However, sometimes that spills over into something negative and I think that’s what happened. They spoke about it being a war in the build-up to the game and they also knew that essentially it was a knockout game for them but I think they lost control.

For me, the Pumas got things massively wrong prior to the World Cup by not picking Facundo Isa, Santiago Cordero and maybe a couple of others. They then drop Nicolas Sanchez from the 23 for the England game and go with Benjamin Urdapilleta at fly half and it just seemed like they completely changed tack.

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In terms of the game itself, the emotion clearly did spill over and I don’t have any sympathy at all for Tomas Lavanini to be honest. The laws and the high tackle framework is there and you have to adjust.

People say it ruined the game but it was a red card every day of the week. There can be no debate about it really. It’s all very well having passion and commitment and talking about making it a war but if you lose your head, you aren’t going to win the war.

It’s not like it’s the first time Lavanini has been in trouble with referees either and people in England will get to see that more this season as he heads to Leicester now a bit earlier than he would’ve liked.

There have now been five red cards at this World Cup and that’s more than at any previous World Cup, despite the fact that we’re only just over halfway through it. It is having an effect on the tournament but the only people to blame are the players and coaches.

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There are ways of tackling aggressively but low and not in a dangerous manner and you only have to look at Sam Underhill or Tom Curry to see evidence of that. Even Owen Farrell seems to have adjusted but there’s always a chance that his technique could still be an issue.

Manu Tuilagi’s tackle at the weekend was just a timing issue but I do think Kyle Sinckler was very lucky to get away without being yellow-carded. Both will be pulled up in the review this week, though, and good coaches will be reminding players to keep their head or it could cost their team.

England lost a bit of rhythm in the second half and it is difficult when people expect you to rack up score after score because you’re playing against 14 men but they stuck to the clear plan of kicking a lot of possession away and putting Argentina under pressure that way.

Sometimes that can be frowned upon but historically New Zealand kick more than any other international team and people don’t think they’re boring, so I think Eddie has looked at that and it’s something he’s trying to implement.

Perhaps that’s why he’s gone back to using George Ford alongside Owen Farrell so much, as well as the attacking threat he poses. There will always be question marks over whether he can boss a game when England aren’t on the front foot until he does it consistently.

But, Fingers crossed his pack continue to be dominant and that doesn’t have to raise its head as there’s no doubt he’s in good form at the moment and it does look like that’s Eddie’s preferred option even with Henry Slade back now.

Everything is looking good for England but Billy Vunipola’s ankle injury is the one concern. I don’t expect him to play against France this weekend and it’s a good opportunity to see Mark Wilson at number eight but Billy is close to irreplaceable.

If his ankle is ok, though, England are actually in a better position injury-wise than they were at the start of the tournament with Slade, Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell coming back and the latter looking really sharp. Not many teams can say that.

Jack Nowell
Jack Nowell

I think Nowell has to be in the match day 23 for the big games and I’d be starting him. Elliot Daly is surely going to be picked at full back because nobody else has really been given a run there in the past year or so and he had a good game on Saturday.

Two into three on the wing doesn’t go and Jonny May does look a shoo-in for one of those spots. I think Eddie might like him on the bench because of his versatility but he has to start in my opinion.

There will still be surprises but England now know who they’re going to face if they beat France this weekend. It’ll be Australia in a quarter-final, followed by New Zealand in a semi-final and then South Africa, Wales or even Ireland in the final if they get that far.

That’s potentially three titanic clashes in the knockout stages, as you’d expect, so any ever so slightly easier ride they got against Argentina has to be a bonus.

Who knows which French side will turn up this weekend, and that won’t be the last time you hear that cliché this week, but England will be confident of winning and keeping the momentum going.

They’ll want to win because of that but they’re through to the quarter-finals anyway and are going to have to beat the best in three straight games to win a World Cup anyway, so the result isn’t that important. Game one of five negotiated, onto the next one.

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Trevor 59 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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