Sun 10 Nov 2013 | 12:09
England beat Argentina but frustrate fans ahead of next weekend

22
Comments

England beat Argentina comfortably with a 31-12 win at Twickenham on Saturday, a week out from the much anticipated clash with New Zealand. Fans weren't too happy with the second half showing however, after three tries were scored in the first.

Joe Launchbury, Billy Twelvetrees and Chris Ashton scored in the first half as England turned pressure into points, and Twelvetrees redeemed himself after a poor showing last week.

England led 24-6 at halftime but failed to pile on the points in the second. Ben Morgan gave the fans something to cheer about with a late try though, as Argentina slumped to their seventh loss this year, following a disappointing Rugby Championship.

New Zealand will offer a different challenge altogether, and England coach Stuart Lancaster is fully aware of the task ahead of them, realising that they need to lift their game if they are to compete.

"We know we have got to step up. To beat New Zealand you've got to hit that for 80 minutes," he said. "While I'll be working to improve, I'm not too disappointed with this performance. We know that in any day, in any game, there are momentum changes and momentum swings.

"We've got a lot to build on and there are a lot of positives. We've now won eight of our last nine games and we are moving in the right direction with a young team," he added.

22 Comments

  • aj_capote
    8:20 PM 12/11/2013

    Yeah, Wade and Yarde are both injured. Really frustrating that so many promising players are falling to niggling injuries. Wade really deserves a Twickenham start this autumn, way more than Ashton at any rate.

    Clive is a man I respect and a driven winner, but his statements now are just getting more and more ridiculous.

  • 45678
    8:35 PM 11/11/2013

    Don't stress, we've had to cope with critisism from all quarters before an it will carry on. Damned if we do, damned if we don't and obviously the only team in world rugby that gets a lucky bounce. Yeah right

  • joeythelemur
    5:44 PM 11/11/2013

    "And having contained the Wallaby and the Puma backline I don't think the AB backs are going to be such a step up."

    I can't tell if you're being serious. Cory Jane & Piutau with Dagg at fullback aren't a step up? Ben Smith is still an experiment in midfield, and will have some serious questions asked of him across from Tuilagi, but in my opinion, that backline is a significant step up, especially considering their form.

  • facepalm
    4:18 PM 11/11/2013

    If I don't like him I can only imagine how you feel.

  • colombes
    4:11 PM 11/11/2013

    I won't join the big ashton haters fraternity, a too easy job ;)
    but yep, his "try" (he doesn't seem really valid) was at the image of the english performance.

    very precise and powerful and the basics during the 1st half,
    and quite lazy and "job done" attitude during the 2nd
    it will always work vs teams who aren't really armed for the fight.
    Argentina had too many injured leaders, and unfortunately argies miss skills in the backs who can match the agressivity of their pack...

    But if they begin vs AB's like they finish this match, it will be very trash

  • juggernauter
    1:02 PM 11/11/2013

    Well apparently noth Wade and Yarde were injured for this match, but I do agree with you. And Woodward - he'll do any thing to keep appearing on the papers haha

  • aj_capote
    10:12 AM 11/11/2013

    Definitely. There is a concentration problem with England at the moment. And for half an hour in the 2nd half England were fairly clueless. But pundits in the English press have taken this half an hour and thought it summed up the whole game - forgetting the 50 minutes of good play we did have.

    The Telegraph reporter was calling it rubbish and predicting an NZ massacre, one journo on BBC Sport called it 'sleep inducing' and tried to rubbish Argentina as 'that side that got beaten by 70 and 50 points in the Rugby Championship' - showing that he really either doesn't know much about rugby, or did but had an agenda to write to and was determined to stick to it, and hang the facts.

  • aj_capote
    10:09 AM 11/11/2013

    One of the best commentators I've heard around lately is one of the guys doing commentary for the Rugby League World Cup at the moment. Not sure if he's an Ozzie or a Kiwi, but he's absolutely brilliant. So much energy and has great banter with his fellow pundits, particularly Brian Noble. Often he'll start talking about a local pub he went to, or the food on offer in the stadium! He's absolutely brilliant. He'll be honest and blunt, and will call a spade a spade, but will also have fun with it.

  • aj_capote
    10:06 AM 11/11/2013

    Imagine if the try hadn't been given? Would've been on a par with SBW's bombed try vs Samoa in the RL World Cup a few weeks ago. Shocker. Think he was so stunned that he got over the line that he forgot to put the ball down!

    Totally agree with you, he's badly lost form. Sometimes coaches need to listen to their players. Ashton himself has said he is lucky not to have been dropped. SL remains in a quandry though, as he was in the Six Nations - he has to get results otherwise the press (and the moron Woodward in particular) will be on his back. He'll be crucified if he bloods players now with championships and Autumn Tests to be won. Which is a shame.

    On the other hand I'd argue players like Wade and Yarde were blooded effectively on the summmer Tour to Argentina, so why not run them now? And big Test matches don't stop NZ from putting in rookie wingers like Piutau does it?

  • katman
    9:45 AM 11/11/2013

    Come on, RD, post the SA/Wales highlights. I want to see THAT TRY again.

  • 45678
    9:02 AM 11/11/2013

    Nice try. England have been very disciplined under Lancaster. Not just in terms of penalty count, but the defence (bar Ashton) has been pretty good. They got turned over a few times in the Argentina 22 on Saturday in the 2nd half, but apart from that, the discipline has been excellent. You don't need a referee in your pocket if you play smart

  • 45678
    8:56 AM 11/11/2013

    Absolutely spot on. For all those people who slate Brian Moore / Stuart Barnes etc, then quote them verbatim on mb

  • hendogo
    10:31 PM 10/11/2013

    Why is Argentina so bad at tackling? The All Blacks are going to be ten times tougher then Argentina. I don't think England will win, but I do think they will put up a good showing against the worlds number one. England has to really stay discipline on defense it they don't want to get burnt by the Allbacks running game.

  • 10:26 PM 10/11/2013

    If I'm honest I don't think there's much England did that poorly. The Puma forward pack and scrum is AB-esque, so matching up to them is no mean feat. And having contained the Wallaby and the Puma backline I don't think the AB backs are going to be such a step up. England just went for a different game plan in the second, opting to smother the Pumas out of the contest. Lancaster will know you beat the All Blacks by taking the game to them. Going by the first half England can do just that.

  • 10:22 PM 10/11/2013

    I've never really understood the negativity that comes from a lot of matches. Methinks it's mostly PR people drumming up hype. I was watching the game and I was enjoying it for the full 80. It only started to appear dull once the commentators started with the hyperbole about how boring it was. Moreover, sometimes I don't think print media journos actually make their minds up about the game, they just re-hash the talking points the commentators brought up, and sometimes in their exact words. A commentator's job should be to enliven the game, not dull it down, IMO

  • facepalm
    8:55 PM 10/11/2013

    Delon Armitage, Jamie Elliott, Kyle Eastmond? So many names seem to pop up.



  • fatprop
    6:49 PM 10/11/2013

    Yeah he gets chance after chance which is so unfair on every other winger in England. May Varndell Daly nowell are also on that list

  • drg
    6:40 PM 10/11/2013

    I think your opinion is shared by a few, I feel he's gone into a bit of a one trick pony, his tackling is diabolical considering he's come from a league background and he's not short of a few stone!

  • reality
    6:22 PM 10/11/2013

    I thought I was the only one to notice that. On the replay you can't see where his body is when he grounds it because of the camera angle, but immediately after it pans to the left and he's already miles in touch.

  • themull
    4:03 PM 10/11/2013

    Not being from england I haven't seen a lot of the bad press, and generally you's do seem to beat yourselves up a lot..One negative that i would take from the game if i were English, is the fact that in the second half you seemed to let Arg run at you a lot and have large periods of possession..that's all well and good when your defense stands up but against some of the very best teams in the world openings will be found..

  • juggernauter
    3:52 PM 10/11/2013

    Surely Ashton must be dropped now? Wnigers are there to finish try scoring opportunities, and he failed two, first he was held up when he could've dived and secured the touchdown, and then he made a ridicoulous sideways dive, sliding off the field before scoring. Only the ref didn't notice it. At times it seems like he does't want to be there, throwing absurd passes and playing with no real passion or intent to put his body on the line. Just the sheer opposite from Fernandez Lobbe, Ashley-Cooper or de Villiers.

    Oh and he really can't tackle. I'd drop him and have Wade, Yarde, Foden, Thompstone, Sharples, Strettle et al as wing options.

    Of course this is just my opinion. But I'm impressed he keeps playing.

    Cheers

  • themull
    3:29 PM 10/11/2013

    When i seen it live and now looking at it again it really doesn't seem like he did..Looks like a terrible call...