England kick off their World Cup campaign and take on an old foe in Argentina. Pool D will start on September 9th in Marseille with England vs Argentina in what could well be a group decider. The winner stands a good chance of topping Pool D; however, it might not be an easy ride for Steve Borthwick’s men, and they face their toughest challenge first.
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England vs Argentina Preview
It’s been a rough run-up to the World Cup for England. To be honest, optimism is low. England is a low-ebb and with Borthwick’s tactical approach under some serious scrutiny, it could be a short campaign. However, England do turn up to the big occasions. They seem to thrive in the World Cup environment (football; take note). Could they summon one more big tournament push with a mish-mash team?
The warm-ups have not been good for England. Defeats to Ireland (expected), Wales (disappointing) and a first ever home defeat to Fiji (shocking) – it’s going to take a real turnaround for this England side to go all the way with some seriously good sides going into this one. Being brutal, they haven’t looked good.
On the other hand, Argentina have earned themselves dark horse status, and for many people, they could cause some serious upsets. Fresh of beating the Australians and a really narrow defeat to favourites, and defending champions, South Africa, they will be really confident that they could top the group and set a real precedent. Argentina are two places higher in the current world rankings and won the last meeting between the two sides. England really needs to beware of the Pumas.
For England, they are rightly worried about the prospect of crashing out before it’s even started. The 2003 champions will have their work cut out if they do lose the opener. Samoa have the best side they’ve had in generations and Japan seem to also enjoy an upset. It looks like it’s going to be a long tournament. However, the 2019 runners-up won’t go easily. It’s going to be an interesting ride!
England vs Argentina Betting Odds
It’s going to be hard to split these two, and that’s certainly reflected in the odds on this one. Both sides are 1.90 to take the fixture with the draw at 21.00. It’s a really difficult one to call, but whoever wins will surely be favourites to top the group and go into the next round feeling confident they can do more.
England are 1.94 to open up the scoring in this crucial World Cup fixture but also will be worried about keeping the Argentinian side out. They’re at 1.88 to score over 22.5 points in this one, and with England’s defence looking as shaky as ever, they’ll want to ensure they don’t shift too many points in the first game.
Rugby World Cup Betting Tips
Under 22.5 points @ 1.84
It’s likely to be a cagey affair. The opening fixtures of a major tournament always are. Both teams will not want to concede anything silly and cautious defence could well be the aim of the game here.
Argentina’s total points under 19.5 @ 2.30
If England are going to take this opener, it’ll come down to their defence. They will be hoping their string tackling ability can keep the Argentinians at bay. They will want to make sure a few big hits go in early to set the tone in this one.
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