Ellis Genge believes England can go all the way and ‘win the World Cup’ after defiant opening victory against Argentina in Marseille puts pre-tournament troubles behind them

England’s players believe they can win the World Cup after their remarkable victory against Argentina.

England were mocked and written off before flying to France, but they kicked off their campaign with a comprehensive victory over the Pumas. George Ford scored all of England’s points with a display aimed at changing the mood and instilling a sense of confidence.

“Everyone was saying: ‘An incredible, incredible victory’, but we believed it all this time,” insisted prop Ellis Genge. “We have had some bad press in recent weeks and a lot of outside noise, but we have stuck to our guns and we know where we are going.

“It’s all: ‘Okay, you beat Argentina’ and people are celebrating. But we are not relieved. We want to win the World Cup and we do the same thing every week. This is what we aim for every week. Consistency, consistency. We said we were building and no one believed it. I believe we can win this World Cup. Of course yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. We will go back every week.

The victory was all the more impressive as flanker Tom Curry was sent off in the third minute. Curry will face a disciplinary hearing Tuesday for a dangerous tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia.

If convicted, the “entry point” for a ban would be six weeks, but a relatively clean record, a guilty plea and the chance to go through so-called tackling school could see the sanction reduced to two weeks, meaning he would be free. play again between now and the last group match against Samoa in Lille on October 7.

However, it is possible that the red card will be canceled by the committee.

England’s disastrous warm-up run was rocked by red cards for Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, but the team were ready to weather the storm on Saturday. “We’ve had quite a bit of practice playing 14-a-side, mate,” Genge said. “I think we’ve grown an arm and a leg, haven’t we?”

“I don’t think we need this performance – I don’t think we need anything. Like I said, we know where we’re going. We have beliefs.

“There hasn’t been a single second in the last few weeks where I thought, ‘We’re in trouble here.’ Honestly, no. I know it’s hard to believe, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I’m not saying we’ve solved the problem, but it’s a step in the right direction. I am not naive and I know it. I don’t think we desperately need it. As I said, we made the effort, achieved our transplant, and we are confident. We’ve done the work, so we can be confident.

England’s players collectively saluted Ford after the victory, praising their mastermind No.10 who scored 27 points, including three drop goals.

“He’s an unsung hero,” Genge said. “He quietly goes about his business and does his job. This guy is always the last one off the field. He is one of those who does his kicks and his entire recovery every day.

“I’ve given him a tough time over the years because he doesn’t let go often, but look at the rewards he gets. He scored every point we had. He’s a serious operator. He has had that since he was 16 when he made his debut at Leicester. He’s an unreal player and he showed his class – and class is permanent. You’ve seen that.

“When your back is against the wall and things are not going well, everyone thinks you are the worst player in the world.

“They probably wanted him out. People probably wanted him not to play this week and look what happened.