Red Rose budding for Pumas showdown
IT was as humid as a sauna in the Kobe Misaki Stadium and England were a lot hotter to handle against the USA in their second game of this World Cup than they were last Sunday against Tonga.
The stutter steps in their opener were replaced by long, direct strides as this Red Rose selection – which featured ten changes to the starting line-up against the Tongans – ran in seven tries against an outclassed but game American side.
In the process of securing a second bonuspoint victory a number of players put up their hands for further consideration as we get towards the sharp end of Pool C, with England facing Argentina in Tokyo on Saturday.
George Ford rose to the occasion as fly-half and captain, making the most of a copious supply of front foot ball from his forwards. Ford not only scored the opening try and kicked ten points, but also kept the USA defence guessing with his astute mix of running and kicking options.
In the pack Joe Marler, George Kruis and Lewis Ludlam made strong impressions, while in the backs, outside-centre Jonathan Joseph showed a timely return to top form by leaving a posse of American tacklers stranded, and there was an accomplished performance from Willi Heinz at scrum-half.
There were also strong performances off the bench by Ellis Genge and Mark Wilson – who made the most of his first World Cup appearance – and Anthony Watson, who is beginning to make himself indispensable in the back three.
Joe Cokanasiga looks as if he could do with some of Watson's confidence, because, although he got on the scoresheet with two tries – and powered home strongly for the second of them – there was at times a surprising hesitancy in some of his running.
The other notable aspect of this game was that it featured this World Cup’s first red card, with USA flanker John Quill justifiably sent off after an ugly shoulder charge tackle to Owen Farrell’s head in the 69th minute.
This was never in danger of extending the controversy in this tournament over undue leniency for a high tackles by match officials, because Australian referee Nic Berry made it clear that Quill’s no-arms rising shoulder into Farrell’s face was a stone-cold sending off.
Farrell has been no angel when it comes to making high tackles, but he has not been guilty of one as reckless as this – and while Quill has been banned for three weeks, the England captain can count himself lucky that a concussion or broken cheekbone did not also put paid to his own participation.
Instead, after a melee between the two teams, Farrell was able to dust himself off, and despite a cut on the bridge of his nose – which England coach Eddie Jones later described luridly as his captain “missing half his nose”– finished the game more or less intact.
The Americans were not alone in straying into high tackle territory, because England centre Piers Francis has been cited for a high challenge on Will Hooley, making contact with the USA full-back’s jaw after a mis-timed tackle straight from the kick-off.
There was further early disruption for the USA when young loose-head David Ainuu was forced off after twisting his knee in the first scrum – and it signalled the start of England dominating the set-piece exchanges.
After Ford glided through to score under the crossbar, converting for a 7-0 lead after just five minutes, the Americans succeeded in plugging the holes until midway through the half when Billy Vunipola scored the first of two driving maul tries.
Having twigged that the USA lineout-drive defence was badly deficient the English pack set off on an even more ambitious drive after a Joe Launchbury catch from almost 20 metres out, which resulted in Luke Cowan-Dickie rumbling over to give England a 19-0 half-time lead.
They added to their tally early in the second-half when a flowing attack culminated in a Joseph swivel and blistering burst to the line, before Ford’s short pass put Cokanasiga over from a couple of metres.
Just before the hour an England scrum turn-over and put-in saw a slick sideto-side handling move finish with Joseph putting Ruaridh McConnochie in for England’s fifth try and a 31-0 lead going into the final quarter. England scored again through Ludlum after nifty footwork by Ford, and after the Quill furore a barnstorming touchline run by Genge saw Ford and Ben Youngs combine before sending Cokanasiga charging over to make it 45-0.
They would have scored again with Elliot Daly in the clear a couple of minutes later, only for the referee to stop play following a nasty injury to Hooley in an aerial contest, which saw him stretchered off.
When play resumed a series of English defensive errors saw USA finally get on the scoreboard in injury time thanks to a scrambled Bryce Campbell try, converted by AJ McGinty. It was England’s only serious lapse of concentration in a comprehensive win to go into their ten-day preparation for the Pumas with many more positives than negatives.