England 27-10 Argentina: George Ford steals the show by running riot against Argentina with a 27-point masterclass for 14-man England as Owen Farrell’s replacement scores ALL of his side’s points in vital World Cup win

George Ford arrived in Marseilles as a dead-eyed gun-slinger in the Wild West. England’s sharp-shooting number 10 threw open the saloon doors and delivered a performance that Jonny Wilkinson would be proud of, pulling out England’s rusty pistol and firing his team to victory.

Three, six, nine. Bang Bang Bang. He practiced his drop goals before kicking off and it paid off. After Tom Curry was shown a red card in the fourth minute, Ford hit three in quick succession to put England on course for one of their biggest and ugliest victories. It’s not going to win any beauty pageants, but Steve Borthwick doesn’t care.

This was a display of courage, intelligence and English pride. It was a chess match in which the pieces came to life like 100-kilo men. A masterclass from the flying half who, defiant in the face of adversity, proved England’s show of confidence throughout the week was not just idle talk.

The sea of ​​blue and white Argentine supporters who took over Boulevard Michelet before kick-off were reduced to stunned silence. They were loud and confident in the evening sun, singing and dancing to the same songs they sang when Lionel Messi won the World Cup in Qatar last year.

The England fans, on the other hand, had sought shade all day, sweating through their t-shirts in fear of what lay ahead. Confidence was low, even though 10 of the 23 matches played in the 2019 World Cup final. Their biggest hope was that their players would tap into some kind of ancient muscle memory.

Tom Curry was sent off after 11 minutes when his yellow card was upgraded to red, but adversity brought out the best in England

It felt like a South American carnival, but the mood turned sour when fans faced long delays entering the ground. The police shrugged their shoulders. The off-field chaos spread across the pitch when Tom Curry was shown a red card after three minutes. England thought they were turning a new leaf when they flew to France and left the demons of Twickenham behind. They talked about hope and confidence, but when Curry accidentally collided with Juan Cruz Mallia, things started to feel like old times. Both players’ heads were covered in blood and Curry was shown a yellow card which was upgraded to red. The fastest red card in World Cup history.

Emiliano Boffelli kicked the Pumas in front and England’s demise seemed inevitable. But George Ford leveled the scores after a late Santiago Carreras yellow card and England rallied. Courtney Lawes and Manu Tuilagi, the old warhorses, delivered double goals to knock the wind out of Argentina’s sails. They squeezed mistakes out of the Pumas and shot the ball upfield.

Scoring still seems to be England’s downfall, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Ben Earl charged all over the field, but he repelled an attack when he kicked the ball out. Elliot Daly was led into touch as another attack developed but Ford stepped up.

Creating something out of nothing, after Ellis Genge was backed into the tackle, Ford created some space to kick his first drop colt. A few minutes later he hit another from halfway. And with 35 minutes left on the clock he kicked another. The dead-eyed shooter lurked behind the rucks and kicked three after three, emulating Wilkinson in the 2003 World Cup final.

Jamie George rallied the crowd as his weakened team walked into the dressing room before half-time. Suddenly there was hope and faith.

Emiliano Boffelli gave the Pumas an early lead, but they did not score again until the end of the match on a miserable evening for Michael Cheika’s men.

Courtney Lawes also put in an impressive performance as he stepped up as England captain

England fans were excited before the match and cheered full-time after witnessing the best show in England for a long time

The Stade Velodrome is a spectacular arena full of history. It’s the place where England beat Australia in the 2007 World Cup, when Ford and Owen Farrell were schoolboys hanging out in the dressing room with their dad. Steve Borthwick played in the second row.

Ford hit kick after kick. It was perfection from the tee, taking his total to 27. England finally showed his bite. Maro Itoje won a turnover and they kept Argentina on the try line. It was easy to forget that they played 77 minutes with 14 men. They barely gave the Cougars a sniff, while Ford ran the show with such authority that it will be a call for his shirt to be handed back to Owen Farrell after his suspension.

Argentina scored a late consolation try through Rodrigo Bruni, but it didn’t matter. This was England’s night to savor – and one Ford will remember for the rest of his life.

Pumas supporters brought the sound and color to the Stade Velodrome, but were ultimately left ashen-faced at their side’s performance