George Ford kicked 27 points as England overcame the early dismissal of Tom Curry to begin their campaign with a stunning 27-10 win over Argentina
Beneath the beautiful curved roof of this wonderful arena, a 14-man England finally gave their long-suffering supporters something to cherish. Thein France is only a couple of days old but it will take something extra special in the weeks ahead to eclipse this effort in terms of backs-to-the-wall resilience and good old-fashioned bulldog spirit.
As choruses of Swing Low resounded around the ground, the Pumas will have been inwardly kicking themselves. A little more clear-headed calm and, by rights, this could have been a famous South American triumph. Instead they charged brainlessly into contact, attempted ridiculous offloads that had little chance of succeeding and gave Ford the chance to nick a winnable game away from them.
To have to play 77 minutes of their most important game for four years with reduced numbers on a warm, humid evening was clearly going to necessitate something special. A harsh call? Yes, in many ways, but it was also a sign of the times. What used to seen as a so-called ‘rugby collision’ is not nearly so simple nowadays.
What next? The nerves of both sides were self-evidently jangling, as had those of many fans as they struggled to gain access to the stadium prior to kick-off. Previously it had been the perfect rugby day: English supporters offering to take happy souvenir snaps of singing Argentine fans at the Vieux Port, party time beneath a warm Mediterranean sun. For a moment it was almost possible to forget the major implications of this fixture for both sides.
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