Pumas will feed off emotion of occasion and will enjoy being underdogs so it is important for England to keep their controlThere is no doubt in my mind that the midfield trio of George Ford, Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi is the best available to England if they have front-foot ball. That is going to be a big if in the latter stages of the tournament and I would urge caution against taking as read that this is now England’s first-choice combination.It is a midfield who can carry out a gameplan very well and if they click it will be a good day at the office for England against Argentina. But would Eddie Jones really opt for those three against...
Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley and Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt made their mark but scrums remain a mess – ask Jamie George Related: Pools of intrigue: how the Rugby World Cup groups stack up | Paul Rees Continue reading...
Now that the autumn internationals have been completed we take a look at the prospects for the opening stage in JapanIreland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa Related: Jacob Stockdale scores only try as Ireland earn historic win over All Blacks Related: England denied by All Blacks and late decision in Twickenham thriller Related: England overwhelm careless Australia with Kyle Sinckler power game Related: Liam Williams leads Wales to South Africa win and first clean sweep Continue reading...
England take heart from All Blacks defeat, Springboks’ power will test Scotland’s growing optimism and Italy prove a point In 2012 England also went 15-0 up on New Zealand at Twickenham and went on to win 38-21. This time they could not score a point after the 25th minute, instead allowing the All Blacks to snatch a 16-15 victory in a classic encounter of its type. Which team, though, is on the steeper upward curve? If the heavy rain was a leveller, there was no disguising the fact England, after a tough year, are on the way back. They now know they can ruffle the All Blacks, even with a patched-up pack, and South Africa’s two shuddering recent games against...
Joe Cokanasiga will bring bulk to England’s backline and Billy Vunipola does the game a good turnAlready it seems likely Joe Cokanasiga will win his first England cap this autumn and the smart money would be on him doing so against Japan in the third match of the series. He has impressed since his move to Bath and Eddie Jones has been eager to add size to his backline for a while now, taking Cokanasiga on the 2017 summer tour of Argentina. Against Exeter on Friday, Cokanasiga showed how devastating he can be when finishing a second‑half try, albeit ruled out, but the 20-year-old’s inexperience was also exposed by Exeter, particularly for Don Armand’s try. England do not want for...