There’s a strong whiff of ‘missed opportunity’ when Argentina has played England at the Rugby World Cup.
Missed goalkicks and a red card have undermined Argentina’s three past meetings and let England off the hook.
The Pumas, for the first time, are favored against the one-time world champion when they meet on Saturday in Marseille.
ENGLAND vs ARGENTINA (England leads 19-1-5 overall, 3-0 in RWC)
In their first World Cup meeting in 1995 in Durban, the Pumas scored two tries to none but England won 24-18 off eight goalkicks by Rob Andrew. The next time in 2011 in Dunedin, Argentina led 9-3 on kicks until England’s go-ahead, 67th-minute converted try and Jonny Wilkinson’s late penalty to prevail 13-9. The last time was 2019 in Tokyo, where Tomas Lavanini was sent off for a shoulder shot on Owen Farrell. England led 5-3 at the time. It won 39-10.
The Pumas should have won the first two games but converted only a combined five of 17 penalty kicks.
This time, they are armed with one of the best goalkickers around. Emiliano Boffelli scored 25 points when they beat England 30-29 last November at Twickenham. Boffelli kicked six penalties and converted his try. That first win over England since 2009 ended a 10-test losing streak to the English. It was based on a strong defensive effort.
Argentina has nine players with World Cup experience, none more than reserve hooker Agustin Creevy, who will become the fourth Puma to play in four tournaments.
Lavanini and Matias Alemanno have been reunited in the second row for a World Cup match for the first time since 2015.
England has 10 survivors from the 2019 final lost to South Africa in Yokohama, and stand-in captain Courtney Lawes and reserve prop Dan Cole will appear in their fourth World Cup.
After five losses in its last six tests, England starts a World Cup at its lowest ranking of eighth.
Discipline has been an issue. England has received seven cards across the past five tests — four yellow and three red, one of the reds preventing captain Farrell from a World Cup game for the first time in three tournaments.
AUSTRALIA vs GEORGIA (Australia 1-0 overall, 1-0 in RWC)
Their only meeting was at the 2019 World Cup pool stage, when Australia won 27-8 in Shizuoka. The Wallabies stole five lineouts and the Lelos conceded 15 penalties.
Australia has five survivors, Georgia has nine, for the second go round at Stade de France.
The Wallabies have lost all five of their tests this year, conceding an average of 38 points per game, and Eddie Jones has brought the youngest squad of all 20 at this tournament to prepare for the 2027 World Cup that Australia will host.
“It shows a changing of the guard,” Jones said. “This is a new team that want to take Australian rugby forward. We want to play a game that enthuses people in Australia to want to follow the Wallabies again.”
Ben Donaldson was surprisingly picked to start at fullback for the first time in his fourth test, and center Samu Kerevi returns. Prop Taniela Tupou will play his 50th test.
Georgia lost to Scotland 33-6 at Murrayfield in its last warmup but the multiple Rugby Europe Championship winner believes it has a great chance in Paris to beat Australia.
“We go into this game with the same confidence as we did last year when we played and won against two tier one countries (Italy and Wales),” captain Merab Sharikadze said.
The Lelos are all about forward power but have threats in the backline from fullback Davit Niniashvili and wing Akaki Tabutsadze, who has 10 tries in eight tests this year.
IRELAND vs ROMANIA (Ireland leads 9-0 overall, 3-0 in RWC)
Ireland come into a second straight World Cup ranked No. 1, but with much higher expectations. The Irish are a title favorite, more so than they were four years ago.
They have won a national record 13 straight tests over the last 14 months.
Captain Jonathan Sexton will play his first match since March after injury and suspension. Bundee Aki plays his 50th Irish test.
“We’ve got experience in abundance that keeps the mind focused,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said. “When it comes to preparation and executing under pressure at the weekend, experience allows us to make sure that we understand how to go about our business.”
The game in Bordeaux will be their first meeting since the 2015 World Cup pool stage when Ireland won 44-10 at Wembley in front of a World Cup-record crowd of 89,267. Keith Earls scored two tries and he’s back, one of three survivors.
Romania return after missing the 2019 World Cup. The Oaks are coming off record 50-point warmup losses to Georgia and Italy. Hinckley Vaovasa makes his second ever start at flyhalf in a seventh different halves partnership this year.
“We discussed a lot about the problems that we had in the last three test matches,” captain Christi Chirica said. “This was a very good week for us, with no errors. The team is ready to go and play rugby.”
ITALY vs NAMIBIA (2-2 overall, Italy leads 1-0 in RWC)
The teams repeat their World Cup opener from 2019, when Italy won 47-22 in Osaka rain. Italy has five survivors, Namibia eight.
Italy and Namibia have never advanced from the pool stage. Both are targeting this match in Saint-Etienne; for Italy a 14th win in the World Cup, for Namibia a first. It has lost all previous 22 since 1999.
Italy won its last two warmups against Romania and Japan and starts only six players with previous World Cup experience. The newcomers include lock Dino Lamb, who debuted last month.
Namibia will be playing only its 12th test since the 2019 World Cup, and third test this year following a South American tour last month which included a loss to Uruguay and a win over Chile.
No. 8 Richard Hardwick starts after playing twice for Australia in 2017. Italy wing Montanna Ioane is a teammate with the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby team.
“For us it is about being brave, it’s about having belief in what we have done,” assistant coach Matt Proudfoot said. “If you look at our journey, we’ve had to go away on the road and win away on the road to qualify. Going to South America in our buildup, we were really competitive in two games and then got across the line in the third. So that belief in the side is there and when you have a team that has a lot of belief, that is a threat. We won’t go away.”
___ AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
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