England 39 Argentina 10
It’s become a familiar sight: Owen Farrell taking a shot in the head for Old Albion. It happened again here on a fizzing evening in Tokyo as another pool game turned on a red-card play. It was a cakewalk in the end: England’s backs humming and Joe Strummer singing London’s Calling after George Ford touched down for England’s fourth try early in the second half, which finally gave Farrell a successful place kick after the surreal sight of four consecutive misses.
This game, billed by Argentina as their World Cup final, flipped after the tackle involving Farrell. Shortly after 5.20pm in Tokyo, Argentina’s coach Mario Ledesma sat back in his chair, his face creased in unhappiness and his arms folded. As he watched, Tomas Lavanini was trudging off the field having just become the fifth player of this World Cup to receive a red card. Two minutes earlier, the big flanker had thumped into Farrell, who seems to have an unfortunate attraction to these kinds of instances. A low oomph went around the stadium when Farrell hit the grass.
Nigel Owens allowed the sequence to play itself out but when he reviewed the tackle on the big screen, the Argentinian’s fate was clear. Lavanini is 6’5” and Farrell had crouched low as he braced himself for the hit. Still, Owens told the big man he had led with the shoulder and not done enough to ensure the safety of England’s playmaker. He was gone. Argentina’s towering task in this group had just been raised to the point of impossibility. Eddie Jones remained impassive but he must have been relieved. Throughout the opening quarter, England had been locked into a grim and fascinating arm wrestle with their old enemies and in the stands, the charioteers drank their beer and were very, very quiet.
It was tasty from the go, with a brief rumble developing after England’s imposing packed pushed Argentina off their scrum. Owens, like a teacher who knew this class could quickly turn mutinous, issued stern warnings. There was outrage in the stadium when Manu Tuilagi was penalized for tackling Emiliano Boffelli when the fullback was still in the air but the Welshman decided a penalty was enough. So on the half hour mark, as Tokyo drifted towards Saturday night frenzy, the scoreboard lingered at 5-3, with England’s try one of the easiest finishes Jonny May will ever enjoy in his life. But with Farrell missing the conversion and Ledesma’s side stalling their momentum with a series of terrific tackles filled with power and intent, this was not a first half hour in which England advanced their credentials.
Instead, it was the Pumas, down a man, who filled the suburb with their singing. Another problem for Jones was the sight of Billy Vunipola, their dump-truck of a number eight, receiving heavy dressing on his ankle. He is not a player England will want to lose ahead of their old-world clash with France here in a week’s time. In the 37th minute, England struck again, bringing Tuilagi and Watson into the game as they moved the ball wide and finally, Daly, after juggling George Ford’s pass, evaded the arriving Boffelli to score and give England breathing space.
A stupid penalty from Tomas Cubelli, who lifted George Kruis off his feet just as Argentina were getting purchase on a maul, gave England a strong attacking position as the half closed. Seventeen phases later, with Argentina’s line under siege, Ben Youngs saw a gap and snuck through. The evening ended on the discordant note of Farrell’s fourth missed place kick in a row.
The elaborate ritual which precedes Farrell’s kick has become such a familiar element of England rugby afternoons that it was disconcerting to see him miss all through the first half. It must have led many supporters to wonder if he was feeling the effects of that earlier tackle. But he stayed on the field.
The second half didn’t quite become the anticipated England landslide. Their travelling support could sit back to savour the phenomenal driving power that Tuilagi brings to England’s expansive moves while their big, bullying pack went to town on Argentina’s weakened unit. Sam Underhill was at the coalface of England’s power plays.
How quickly Argentina’s fortunes in Japan have darkened after the promise of their opening game performance against France. Eddie Jones could begin to think about that grudge match against France even as he let Joe Marler, ever a Megadeath roadie trapped in a loosehead’s body, shed a few pounds by leaving him to plough through the early evening heat after the hour mark. There’s a sadist’s streak in Jones sometimes. The lesser spotted Vunipola, Maku, desperate for a run, came in to relieve Marler as the old Twickenham chorus filled the sky.
Still, the anticipated closing encore from England didn’t materialise: instead, Matias Moroni finished a beautifully slick passing move off an Argentina lineout to underline a tournament that has been about pride and defiance for them. England manufactured an immediate response finished by Jack Nowell in the corner. The bigger cheer came when Farrell’s conversion edged home off the post. Normal service resumed and the occasion finished with England mauling the Argentina’s for a closing try for Luke Cowan-Dickie and another bout of chip-shop aggro’ under the posts. The best of enemies until the end.
Scoring sequence: 6 mins Urdapiletta pen 0-3; 9 mins May try 5-3; 33 mins Daly try 10-3; 40 mins Youngs try 15-3; 45 mins Ford try 20-3, Farrell con 22-3; Farrell pen 25-3; Matias Orlando 25-8, 71 mins Boffelli con 30-10; 74 mins Jack Nowell try, Farrell con 32-10, 80 mins Cowan Dickie try 37-10, Farrell con 39-10.
ENGLAND: Elliot Daly; Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farell, Johnny May; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Joe Marler, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Mario Itoje, George Kruis; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill; Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Lewis Ludlam for Vunipola (half-time), Will Heinz for Youngs (45 mins), Courtney Lawes for George Kruis (54 mins), Dan Cole for Sinckler (61 mins), Maku Vunipola for Marler (63 mins), Luke Cowan-Dickie for George (65 mins), Henry Slade for Ford (69 mins), Jack Nowell for Watson (69 mins)
ARGENTINA: Emiliano Boffelli; Matias Moroni, Matias Orlando, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Santiago Carreras; Benjamin Urdapilleta, Tomas Cubelli; Naheul Tetaz Chaparro, Julian Montoya, Juan Figallo; Guido Pettii Pagadizaval, Tomas Lavanini; Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer; Javier Ortega Desio.
Replacements: Mayco Vivas for Chaparro (45 mins), Agustin Creevy for Montoya (45 mins), Santiago Medrano for Juan Figallo (45 mins), Matias Alemanno for Ortega Desio (45 mins), Tomas Lezana for Pagadizaval (54 mins), Bautista Delguy for Orlando (57 mins), Felipe Ezcurra for Cubelli (59 mins), Lucas Mensa for Urdapilleta (61 mins).
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales).
