A mix of goodPicture: and Brad news
said Moriarty. “I do like carrying the ball, which I didn’t get to do too much of, but to make the most tackles of any international player last Saturday is something to be proud of.”
Warren Gatland’s men face the Pumas in Santa Fe on Saturday looking for a clean sweep this summer after their 23-10 triumph and the 22-20 win over South Africa.
“It’s not hard to see the Argentina game plan. Their forwards are big, it was a physical game, and there were a lot of serious collisions involved,” said Moriarty.
“Going into a match I always know it’s going to hurt, but when you come out with a win it makes it all worthwhile.” timely, with England’s strength in depth in the second row being tested on this tour.
Courtney Lawes, George Kruis and Charlie Ewels did not make the trip because of injury and Nick Isiekwe’s early removal in the first Test was a reminder that, at 20, he remains a work in progress.
Launchbury will not only bring size but also a reassuring know-how to bear against the Boks at Free State Stadium on Saturday. “Joe captains Wasps and he has loads of international experience, so to have him back out there training, being energetic and just hearing his voice driving standards today was very good,” said England scrum-half Ben Youngs. “Someone like that is a world-class operator and to have him back out on the training pitch is great for us to see and gives us a boost.” Youngs, who made his England return in the first Test after missing all but 10 minutes of the Six Nations, is demanding opposite number Faf de Klerk is shut down this Saturday after he ran riot at Ellis Park.
“We can’t defend like we did at the weekend. We were leaving doglegs, we weren’t getting set early enough, our spacing on the ruck was really poor and if you give him that he is going to cause you trouble – and he did. He is a livewire,” said Youngs.
“It has been a big focus this week. For whatever reason, we were way off in that
area. If you invite guys like that to run at you it is exactly what they want. If you do that, he will pull you about. “It was the same with Willie le Roux in the wide channels – again we were way too passive. We let him do what he wanted. “We didn’t intend to defend like that. Everything we have done in training this week is to get back to the way England defend.” Youngs’ Leicester team-mate Ellis Genge is almost certainly out of the remainder of the tour after sustaining a knee injury yesterday. FORMER England prop Kieran Brookes has joined Wasps from Northampton.