SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England star George Ford’s World Cup masterclass was rugby majesty at its FINEST

In the build-up to the opening World Cup match between England and Argentina on Saturday evening, I wrote about the need for Steve Borthwick’s side to maintain their discipline and keep 15 players on the field. ground.

After the summer red cards and the suspensions of Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, I wanted the English players to have learned their lessons. All that went out the window after three minutes in Marseille. But I don’t blame Tom Curry for his expulsion against the Pumas.

That England defied the odds at 14 to start their World Cup campaign with a victory against all odds and after a terrible build-up to the tournament is remarkable.

The team has received a lot of criticism in the build-up to this World Cup, and rightly so. But they deserve praise for the way they handled such adversity against Argentina to come out on top. This will do wonders for their confidence. George Ford played superbly.

His three drop goals in the first half were simply brilliant and finishing with 27 points was a fitting reward for his performance. Borthwick’s smile in the coaches’ box in the last 15 minutes says it all!

My opinion on the Curry incident is that it was not a red card in any form. I’m really sorry about Curry. It was just an accident. Curry’s direct contact with Juan Cruz Mallia was what I call a “rugby incident.”

The sport is in trouble in my opinion if these kinds of collisions are deemed worthy of expulsion. Whether or not there is intent in a player’s actions should have no impact on the referee’s decision. I understand that.

But I really don’t know what Curry was supposed to do to not end up in this position. I think that deserved a yellow card. Curry’s incident was neither deliberate nor vindictive. Rugby is in difficulty.

These kinds of decisions will have a big impact on the future of the sport. As a coach, the last thing you want is to lose players due to yellow or red cards. So what are you doing? If you are responsible for a team, you will ask yourself “How do I prevent members of my team from being kicked out or spending 10 minutes in the trash?”

The answer, perhaps, is to tell your players not to compete for the ball in the air at all and not to be near the opposition when their feet are not on the ground.

Will Jordan’s yellow card in New Zealand’s defeat to France on Friday night was due to a similar incident and it cost the All Blacks dearly. Fortunately for England, they were saved by Ford.

That aside, what kind of sport will we have if rugby’s aerial collisions are removed? Argentina also lost Santiago Carreras to a yellow card, but even that was tough.

I was extremely disappointed to see the long queues that fans had to endure to get to the match in Marseille. It was unacceptable. French authorities have had years to plan this World Cup.

We have seen other crowd problems at major sporting occasions in France in recent years. Liverpool fans won’t forget the 2022 Champions League final and the huge queues to get there.

There were real problems with this. You would have thought that the French authorities would have learned lessons, but the start of the World Cup showed that was not the case.

A number of problems arose at the Marseille and Bordeaux stadiums on Saturday and must be resolved by the tournament organizers as quickly as possible. Especially with France hosting the Olympic Games next year.

Many fans missed the kick-off of England’s victory. Maybe it was a good thing they were still waiting in line when Curry was ejected! England responded brilliantly.

Argentina suddenly looked nervous, as if they were expected to win. And those nerves and mistakes got worse as Ford scored his goals.

His drop goal tactic was perfectly executed. The drop goal seems to have disappeared from the game, but it’s a great option if your team is struggling in attack like England are currently doing.

There was one occasion in the first half where England had the chance to run after a spilled Argentinian ball. Five English players faced two Pumas defenders.

But terrible passes from Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant sent Jonny May into touch. England totally squandered this opportunity due to a shocking inability to execute basic skills.

What you couldn’t fault England for was heart and effort. It wasn’t a classic, far from it in fact. Not that England cares! It would have been easy to feel sorry for yourself after Curry’s red and accept defeat.

But they showed impressive courage in the face of adversity. Their scrum went well and they took advantage of Argentina’s poor discipline. Ford didn’t miss his kicks. Maro Itoje has taken a big step forward. The speed of England’s defensive line was good and the big shots flew.

England’s tactics were excellent. Argentina played their game. But Borthwick’s side did exactly what they should have done after losing a man by limiting their mistakes and capitalizing on those made by the opposition. Ford was an ocean of calm in the midst of chaos. England’s scrum was good.

The way Ford led and guided the team across the park to a famous victory was rugby majesty at its finest. It was a well-deserved victory.

After Curry’s red card, few would have seen it coming.