Plodding England narrowly avoid upset against Argentina
Jonny Wilkinson wobbles as England grind out an unconvincing victory over the South American underdogs in their Rugby World Cup opener.
A lacklustre England narrowly avoided embarrassment in their opening Rugby World Cup match after scraping a 13-9 win against Argentina.
Flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson missed five penalty kicks as England struggled to assert themselves in a brutal encounter in Dunedin.
But Argentina failed to punish England for their poor discipline, with fullback Martin Rodriguez also missing five penalty shots in the new indoor stadium.
Pumas captain Felipe Contepomi also missed a penalty before he went off with what appeared to be a rib injury midway through the first half.
England finally found a breakthrough late in the second half when they secured the lineout and drove infield, leaving replacement scrumhalf Ben Youngs to scamper over the line from the base of a ruck to score under the posts.
Wilkinson’s conversion nudged England ahead for the first time in the match and he wrapped up the victory with a second penalty.
The one thing I am going to give the team credit for is the way we stuck to our task. We got a win but there is a lot to work on. Mike Tindall
Relieved England skipper Mike Tindall paid tribute to the impact made by Youngs in his his first appearance since undergoing knee surgery in the summer.
Tindall said: “Youngsy came on and turned the game for us. We got our tempo going and we got a try on the back of it.
“The one thing I am going to give the team credit for is the way we stuck to our task. We got a win but there is a lot to work on.”
Reflecting on a first half that saw England come off second best for most of the period, Tindall said: “We were under no illusions about what Argentina can bring. For the first 20 minutes it is hard to play rugby when you don’t touch the ball or see it.
“We know how good their pack is and they kept the ball really well. They squeezed and squeezed and they won their penalties.
“We gave away three easy penalties away and from then on it makes it hard work for you.”
The England captain acknowledged that the side will have to work hard on improving their discipline ahead of their remaining Pool B matches.
“You’ve got to play to what you are getting away with and we were not squeaky clean enough. It is something to go away and look at.”