Ford the driving force as England eases World Cup nerves

PARIS — England overcame a potentially dangerous Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina on Saturday thanks to the prolific boot of George Ford as Ireland welcomed back its dynamo Johnny Sexton.

England had recorded just four wins in 13 matches heading into the clash in Marseille and Argentina had stunned it in November.

It started badly for the 2003 champion after Tom Curry was red-carded for a clumsy clash of heads with Argentine fullback Juan Cruz Mallia in just the third minute, becoming the first England player in history to be sent off at a World Cup.

But Ford stepped up to take a scrappy game by the scruff of the neck, kicking every single one of England's points, including three drop goals and six penalties, in a 27-10 victory to lift the pre-tournament tension in the Red Rose camp.

Ford is standing in for Owen Farrell, who is serving a ban for a dangerous tackle that ruled him out of this game and the next against Japan, but on this evidence Farrell will have a fight on his hands to get the No 10 jersey back.

"We have had a bit of a rocky build-up to this World Cup but I think in the last 10 days there has been a different feeling to the place. It is only game one and we will look to build next week," Ford told ITV.

England coach Steve Borthwick said: "There was a sense I had from the players they had been written off a bit too early. They are a quality group that are going to keep on improving and moving forward."

Hundreds of spectators missed the kickoff in Marseille after they were delayed at the entrances to Stade Velodrome, according to AFP reporters.

Organizers said in a statement: "We are working with all stakeholders to establish the facts and implement measures to prevent such delays for the remaining Rugby World Cup 2023 matches at the venue."

Ireland lets loose

Ireland, the world's No 1-ranked side, was able to select Sexton — so often its inspiration — for the first time following a six-month injury absence as it took on minnow Romania in the Pool B curtain-raiser in Bordeaux.

Sexton's errant kick handed Gabriel Rupanu the first try for Romania, but Ireland then flattened it with 12 tries in response to romp to an 82-8 victory.

Sexton grabbed 24 points, including two tries, to become Ireland's record World Cup points scorer.

"I'm delighted just to get some minutes under my belt," Sexton said.

"We know there's a much tougher task coming on Saturday against Tonga."

Like England, Australia had a rocky build-up to the tournament but coach Eddie Jones earned his first win in six games with a 35-15 bonus-point victory over battling Georgia.

Fullback Ben Donaldson scored 25 points in just his fourth Test appearance to leave former England and Japan coach Jones hailing a "perfect" start for the two-time champion.

"World Cups are about taking each step," Jones said.

"If we were to plan a perfect World Cup preparation, we said at the end of round one we want to sit there on five points and that's what we've got."

In the other game on day two of the marathon seven-week tournament, Italy romped to a 52-8 win against Namibia in host nation France's Pool A.

AFP