Attritional but riveting action saw fourteen-man England make a winning World Cup start, gritty spirit, and fantastic George Ford kicking, ultimately battering a below-par Pumas side in Pool D’s opener in Marseille, tonight.

Despite being reduced to fourteen men inside three minutes, an inspired physical resilience and a blunt, all-at-seas Argentina ensured Steve Borthwick’s side started with a win.

In the last four meetings between these sides, England had won three but adding to the sense of pre-tournament dizziness and disarray was a surprising one-point loss to the Pumas last November, a thrilling match decided 29-30 in Argentina’s favour at Twickenham.

The ill-discipline that blighted their warmup matches into misery reared its head early on, an unwelcome presence for England as experienced flanker, Tom Curry was left dangling as a yellow card-red card deliberation went to the TMO bunker, a review in process for a late, high tackle, leaving coach Borthwick with more to sweat over, only three minutes in.

With five minutes gone, the deadly boot of Emiliano Boffelli put the first points over.

Argentina then went down to fourteen themselves, fly half Santiago Correras clattering his opposite number, George Ford, late and recklessly.  Correras saw yellow and Ford fired England level from the tee.

Immediately though, came the dreaded TMO bunker outcome, Curry’s yellow upgraded to red, referee, Mathieu Raynal, citing the lack of mitigation for such a dangerous tackle and having a clear eyeline as England found themselves a man down, yet again, for the fourth time in 2023.

Amidst all that, Boffelli had hit a long-range penalty wide with England probing in response, Ben Earl stepping up his workload admirably from number eight.

Restored to their full complement, Puma’s prop, Thomas Gallo crossed the whitewash for his side, but it was ruled out for an earlier knock on, momentum then squandered by captain Courtney Lawes’ brilliant defensive read, leading from the front for his country.

Buoyed by that, Borthwick’s men sustained possession and Ford thumped over a fantastic drop goal from just inside his own half to put the side a man, permanently, down, ahead for the first time.

Elliot Daly then had a monster kick drift wide, England baring their teeth fiercely in the face of Argentine adversity. 

Ford swiftly added to his drop goal tally, this an absolute rip-roarer that sailed between the posts, the confidence flowing as Jonny May then almost scrambled in the corner, scuppered by Daly’s pass at the last.

More unlikely momentum swung further England’s way, Ford popping a close-range third, yes third, drop goal of the half over for a monumental nine DG points in ten minutes and England ahead by more than a try, with the Pumas rattled as anything under the Marseille lights. 

Both Borthwick and counterpart, Argentine coach Michael Cheika both had imperative half time team talks, everyone intrigued to see whose was more effective.

As Ford took his tally to fifteen and England’s lead to twelve, it appeared Borthwick had inspired his troops although the Argentines weren’t helping themselves, seven unforced errors as lax handling ruined any hopes of building towards the scores that they needed to rescue any opening night points.

That ambition looked in tatters with twenty-five minutes remaining, Ford making it three from three from the tee, any Puma problem, gleefully swooped upon by an ecstatic England.

Yet another Ford penalty made it twenty-one unanswered points as the Pumas were pummelled by emotion, lack of game management and England with tails firmly up in the face of utter peril, that Curry’s red card placed them in.

With Argentina spilling the ball like a hot potato, England took further advantage of ill-discipline, Ford again accurate for an emphatic 24-3 lead going into the closing stages. 

It will be of scant consolation to Cheika and co that replacement, Rodrigo Bruni, burrowed over late on, Boffelli’s conversion taking them to double digits. 

By far though, much too little, much too late.

Bloodied and bruised they were but, England ended smiling and with four points to take the initiative of Pool D.  By contrast, their grit and attrition will frustrate a Pumas side who were their own worst enemies at times, putting them on the back foot for group qualification.

With a lack of try-action, the late surge aside, both teams will be keen to show a more creative, fun, flair side to their game if they are to achieve the necessary results for progression.

Argentina enters their thirteen-day rest period for the tournament, not back in action until Friday week, September 22^nd against Samoa in St Etienne (4:45pm KO). 

England have an eight-day turnaround before another crunch clash next Sunday evening, playing Japan at the Stade de Nice in what could prove a fatal faceoff (8pm KO).