George Ford arrived in Marseille like a dead-eye gun slinger in the Wild West. England’s sharp-shooting No 10 flung open the saloon doors and delivered a performance that Jonny Wilkinson would be proud, pulling out England’s rusty pistol and firing his team to victory.
Three, six, nine. Bang, bang, bang. He was practising his drop goals before kick off and boy did it pay off. After Tom Curry was shown a red card in the fourth minute, Ford hit three in quick succession to put England on course for one of their biggest, ugliest victories. It is not going to win any beauty pageants but Steve Borthwick could not care less.
This was a show of guts, intelligence and English pride. It was a chess match where the pieces came to life as 100 kilo men. A masterclass from the fly-half who, defiant in the face of adversity, proved that’s England’s show of confidence through the week was not just idle chatter.
The sea of blue and white Argentina supporters who took over Boulevard Michelet before kick off were reduced to a stunned silence. They had been loud and confident in the evening sun, singing and dancing to the same songs they sung when Lionel Messi lifted the football World Cup in Qatar last year.
England’s fans, in contrast, had spent the day seeking the shade, sweating through their t-shirts in a nervous fear of what lies ahead. Confidence was low, even though 10 of the matchday 23 played in the 2019 World Cup final. Their greatest hope was that their players would tap into some kind of ancient muscle memory.
George Ford produced a masterful performance, scoring all 27 of England’s points
Tom Curry was dismissed 11 minutes in when his yellow card was upgraded to a red – but adversity brought out the best in England
It felt like a South American carnival but the mood turned sour when fans faced huge delays getting into the ground. The police shrugged their shoulders. The chaos outside the ground spilled onto the pitch when Tom Curry was shown a red card after three minutes. England thought they were turning a new leaf when they flew over to France, leaving behind the demons of Twickenham. They talked about hope and confidence but when Curry was accidently clashed heads with Juan Cruz Mallia it started to feel like old times. Both player’s heads were left covered in blood and Curry was shown a yellow that was upgraded to red. The fastest red card in the history of the World Cup.
Emiliano Boffelli kicked the Pumas in front and England’s demise seemed inevitable. But George Ford levelled the scores after a late yellow-card hit from Santiago Carreras and England rallied. Courtney Lawes and Manu Tuilagi, the old warhorses, put in double hits to knock the wind out of Argentina’s sails. They squeezed mistakes out of the Pumas and hoofed the ball downfield.
Scoring tries still seems to be England’s down fall but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Ben Earl charged all over the pitch but he butchered an attack when he grubber kicked the ball into touch. Elliot Daly was ushered towards touch as another attack fizzled out but up stepped Ford.
Creating something from nothing, after Ellis Genge was carried backwards in the tackle, Ford engineered some space to kick his first drop foal. A few minutes later, he whacked another one from half way. And with 35 minutes on the clock, he kicked another. The dead-eye shooter lurked behind the rucks and kicked three after three, emulating Wilkinson in the 2003 World Cup final.
Jamie George rallied the crowd as his weakened team walked into the dressing room for half time. Suddenly there was hope and belief.
Emiliano Boffelli kicked the Pumas in front early on but they did not score again until the very end of the match on a miserable night for Michael Cheika’s men
Courtney Lawes also put in an impressive performance as he acted as captain for England
England fans were excited pre-match and jubilant come full time after witnessing the best England showing for a long time
The Stade Velodrome is a spectacular arena packed with history. It is where England beat Australia in the 2007 World Cup, when Ford and Owen Farrell were schoolboys who used to hang around the changing room with their dads. Steve Borthwick played second row.
Ford hit kick after kick. It was perfection from the tee, taking his tally up to 27. England finally showed their bite. Maro Itoje won a turnover and they held up Argentina on the try line. It was easy to forget that they played 77 minutes with 14 men. They barely gave the Pumas a sniff, with Ford bossing the show with such authority that it will be some call to give his shirt back to Owen Farrell after his suspension.
Argentina scored a late consolation try through Rodrigo Bruni but it mattered not. This was England’s night to savour – and one that Ford will remember for the rest of his life.
Pumas supporters brought the noise and colour to the Stade Velodrome but were ultimately left ashen-faced by their side’s showing
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