JUNIOR WORLD CUP
England face Italy today after opening win over Argentina
ROCK solid defence and adaptability under pressure are the twin pillars underpinning England’s U20s World Cup challenge, according to assistant coach Jimmy Ponton.
Wednesday’s 39-19 win over Argentina set the tone for a successful campaign and if England can followup by defeating an Italy side who caused them problems during the Six Nations, Ponton’s men will be in pole position to sail into the semi-finals.
Ahead of today’s clash – their second match in four days – Ponton told The
Rugby Paper: “We were pleased with Wednesday’s performance. Our attacking threat was good and I was pleased with the way we put some good defensive sets together.
“We’ve got some really good defenders. Our captain, Ben Curry, loves his defence, Fraser Dingwall is a very smart defender amongst the centres, Josh Basham is solid in our back row and Aaron Hinkley is a really good leader in that department as well.
“In tournaments like this it’s about those boys leading from the front with their actions and bringing a lot of energy to the rest of the team. We got loads of energy through our defence against Argentina and it’s about making sure that continues.”
With such a short turnaround, Ponton added: “I’ve never been in this position as a coach and the Argentina game was incredibly physical, so we had to match what they brought and then go over the top, which means guys are carrying some bruises.
“The game has moved on since I played and the physicality is off the scale, so we’ve got to manage our players as we progress through the tournament.
“We trust all 28 players so rotation is inevitable, and it also means ‘adaptability’ is a bit of a buzzword for us. You need players who can solve problems on the run now but our academies are doing a great job in producing adaptable players.”
With today’s warm weather in Perpignan very different from the freezing, monsoon conditions that reduced February’s clash between these sides to a mudfest before England ran out 27-17 winners, lock Sam Lewis expects a far more open contest. The Leicester man, below, said: “Italy was a real battle the last time we played them. They took us to one of the most remote parts of northern Italy, which was probably part of their game plan, and in pretty horrendous conditions it turned into a dog-fight. “Conditions will be a bit different this time and hopefully we can move the ball around more, but we saw enough of Italy to know they have what it takes to give it to us, so it’s important we don’t look at them as an easy team to beat. “We know they’ve got boys who do alright in the scrum and maul and they’ve got some attacking weapons too, but if we can stay focussed on ourselves and remain composed, hopefully our extra organisation and fitness will see us get the win.” England’s composure was on display against Argentina, against whom they trailed 15-14 before eventually running out clear winners thanks to try-doubles from Jordan Olowofela and Henry Walker and a late score from replacement Marcus Smith.
“Our ‘finishers’ did the job,” said Lewis. “Argentina came at us hard, full of passion and energy, but it kind of wore off as the game went on and we kept that composure we’ve spoken about to battle it out and get a very good bonus-point win.
“It’s the bench’s job to bring something extra and lift the boys around you and I think we did a pretty good job there. As a squad we shook off a few cobwebs and we’re settled into the tournament now, so it’s just about improving game-togame.”
Wednesday’s first round of matches saw new tackle laws applied for the first time, with any contact above the ‘nipple area’ subject to sanctions.
Ponton admits he initially feared the worst, but said: “It’s tough to police but once the revised laws were
explained, it’s not as severe as it looks. We had a weekand-a-half ’s notice about the directives and it’s not really changed the way we encourage guys to tackle. It’s just to try and stop any contact around the head, which we don’t encourage anyway.
“There are some concerns about the choke tackle and how laws are applied, but we’ve been told it’s okay if there’s no contact with the head. The guys are aware of it and we hope there are no issues.”