RUGBY SPECIAL

England 27 Argentina 14

THIS was a truly remarkable, backs-to-the-wall display by England as they shrugged off Elliot Daly’s fifth-minute red card to record the 12th and finest win under Eddie Jones.

In a pulsating game, full of controversy and full-bloodied commitment, England were simply superb. As rear-guard actions go, it is hard to recall anything better. Wellington 2003? Perhaps. Melbourne 2016? Not quite. This was something very special indeed.

As if playing 75 minutes of a Test match with 14 men against a highclass outfit like the Pumas was not a tall enough order, England then had to endure the loss of talismanic No 8 Billy Vunipola on half time.

They conceded two tries almost immediately but still would not buckle. The pack was remarkable with George Kruis outstanding in his first international since undergoing ankle surgery in October, while Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes dug deep.

Owen Farrell missed four kicks at goal but otherwise enjoyed a fine game full of confrontation and clever distribution. And Jonny May enjoyed his best game in an England shirt, scoring a wonderful secondhalf try and tearing around the field like a banshee for 80 minutes in the absence of his fellow wing. There were four yellow cards — two for each team — and two reds. When Argentinian replacement Enrique Pieretto was also sent off with four minutes left for an ugly stamp on Joe Marler’s head, it suggested a spite-filled game.

On occasion it spilled over, but on the whole this was a full-blooded Test match as compelling as anything played at Twickenham since the Clive Woodward years. It was simply fantastic to watch.

Jones said: ‘I thought it was a brilliant display. Flexible, adaptable, courageous, we went out with a certain game plan but had to abandon it after ten minutes.

‘The players did exceptionally well, the senior players regrouped and came up with another plan and played to the conditions and I thought it was outstanding.’

Victory over Australia next week would equal England’s record winning run of 14 on the spin achieved on Woodward’s watch between 2002 and 2003. We know what happened that year.

Jones’ men are not in the same category as Woodward’s team yet. But they are absolutely on the right track. In Jones, they have a highclass leader.

‘All we want to do is beat Australia next week, that’s all we want to do,’ added Jones. ‘And next year. And the year after. We’re not concerned about records; we’re concerned about playing good rugby. We had 81,000 people out there and I’m sure those 81,000 people were thrilled with the game. They saw everything.’

Daly will have nightmares about his fifth-minute brain freeze. The 24-year-old became the first England player since Lewis Moody in 2005 to be sent off — only the fifth ever — when he took Leonardo Sanatore out in mid-air and left the Pumas No 8 stricken on the floor after landing heavily on his shoulder and neck. It was not intentional, but that is irrelevant. The tackler has responsibility for how the tackled man lands. Daly had to go.

Sanatore could have broken his neck in the incident and referee Pascale Gauzere, who enjoyed a superb afternoon in difficult circumstances, made the first of several tough but correct calls.

The crowd booed as a distraught Daly exited. It was impossible not to feel sympathy for the young Wasp, but Gauzere had no choice.

Moments later, the crowd were incensed when Pumas winger Juan Pablo Estelles also took May out while he was in the air but, crucially, his opposite man landed on his feet.

The challenge may have been similar but the outcome was resolutely different.

‘Elliot made an error of judgement,’ said Jones. ‘I make an error of judgement every time I go outside, we all do it. These things happen in rugby.

‘He has to bounce back, he has no choice. What is he going to do, sit in the corner and feel sorry for himself and never play rugby again?’

It will be a footnote, but Argentina fly half Juan Martin Hernandez should never have been allowed back on the field after undergoing a Head Injury Assessment four minutes in, following a collision with May. He looked groggy and produced a performance far below his usual standard. By contrast, England’s players raised their game in Daly’s absence.

Farrell’s steal from Hernandez which led to a penalty try when Matias Orlando intentionally knocked on — he was sent to the sin bin — summed up England’s in-yourface defence and encapsulated the No 12s performance.

A five-minute spell before half time, when England’s resisted seismic pressure on their own line, with scrum after scrum going down before Dan Cole was shown a yellow card for buckling, could have broken lesser teams.

With Vunipola off, close to tears and now a doubt for next Saturday’s Australia match, Pumas replacement Facundo Isa barrelled over on the stroke of half time.

Santiago Cordero then scored a wonderfully crafted try two minutes into the second half to make it 16-14.

But England refused to fold. Their fitness stood up to this titanic test and, almost unbelievably, they even grew stronger as the game wore on.

May’s 68th-minute try was just reward for a wonderful display which fully justified his recall in place of Semesa Rokoduguni.

Jones’ men go marching on. They will take some stopping.