Kevin Sinfield expects to see ‘loads of improvement’ from England at World Cup

By Sports Desk September 11, 2023

Kevin Sinfield believes England are ready to accelerate their development at the World Cup now that they have shown their true colours.

England have reported no fresh injury problems after Saturday’s spirited 27-10 victory over Argentina but are expected to see Tom Curry suspended following his dangerous tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia.

Curry’s red card meant Steve Borthwick’s side played all but three minutes of the Pool D opener at Stade Velodrome with 14 men, yet they rose to the challenge magnificently to produce their most resilient display since Sinfield was placed in charge of the defence 10 Tests ago.

It was a department of England’s game that was under close scrutiny after they had conceded 30 tries in nine matches, but even with Curry watching from the stand their tryline remained intact until the final minute.

“We showed a bit of what we’re about and I still feel there’s loads of improvement in us,” Sinfield said.

“We’re disappointed to concede at the end, but I thought we did a really professional job.

“We knew that performance was coming and to have to do the vast majority of it with 14 men shows the fight and the spirit that we have spoken about for some time now. However, it wasn’t being transferred onto the field.

“It was pleasing to see some aspects really improve, but more so for the players because they’ve seen what this group is capable of.

“And we need to ensure we get more of that and keep moving forward in each of our training sessions.”

Curry is to attend Tuesday night’s independent disciplinary hearing in Paris in person as England seek a favourable outcome to his dismissal after a clash of heads with Mallia.

The Sale flanker, who was making his first appearance since the autumn because of hamstring and ankle injuries, is facing a suspension in the region of three matches, which is likely to be reduced by one if he attends tackle school.

Offsetting his unavailability, however, is number eight Billy Vunipola’s return from his ban for a dangerous tackle against Ireland for Sunday’s second group match against Japan in Nice.

George Ford is the man of the moment after he masterfully guided England to victory against Argentina, who entered the match as favourites but proved to be a disorganised rabble.

Ford’s brilliance poses a selection conundrum for Borthwick given squad captain Owen Farrell comes back from suspension – also incurred for a dangerous tackle – against Chile on Saturday week.

Both are vying for the fly-half duties and while Ford is sure to be rested against the South Americans due to his heavy workload, Borthwick will need to make a difficult decision for the Pool D finale against Samoa.

“It was a masterclass from George. He really grabbed hold of the game for us. He managed it really well and he was faultless with the boot,” Sinfield said.

“He brings a calmness to us. You want your leaders to step up in a variety of different ways in big games and George certainly did that.”

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    Ireland suffered their first home defeat since 2021 last time out, going down by a 23-13 scoreline against New Zealand.

    Despite that loss, head coach Andy Farrell has only made one change to Ireland's starting lineup, bringing Robbie Henshaw in at inside centre in place of Bundee Aki.

    Argentina also named their team on Wednesday, with vice-captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matias Moroni replacing Santiago Grondona, Franco Molina and Matias Orlando.

    Ireland team: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

    Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.

    Argentina team: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.

    Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.

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    South Africa next face England, who are yet to pick up a win this autumn, at Twickenham on Saturday.

    Steve Borthwick's side suffered a narrow two-point defeat by New Zealand, before conceding an injury-time winning try to Australia on Saturday.

    England have now lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018, but Esterhuizen's former Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith has been impressive for the Red Roses. 

    "It's a great space, I obviously love to play there," Esterhuizen added. "It will be great to be running at Marcus, not run off him.

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    The Springboks have won three of their last four matches against England (L1), including each of their last two. Three of the last five games between England and South Africa have been decided by single-point margins.

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