Jones' England 'not good enough' as Argentina claim prized Twickenham win

By Sports Desk November 06, 2022

England boss Eddie Jones said his team were "not good enough" and captain Owen Farrell raised discipline worries after a surprising 30-29 defeat to Argentina at Twickenham.

In front of an 80,000 full house, the home side were edged out by the Pumas, getting their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a rocky start.

Head coach Jones said England were left "chasing our tail" after letting a half-time lead slip away.

"We made silly mistakes, but I like the way the team went about it. We didn't finish well, there was that lack of cohesion," Jones said on Amazon Prime Video.

"It's not good enough – we realise it's not good enough. We kept making fundamental mistakes."

As Argentina celebrated a first win against England since 2009 and a first at Twickenham since 2006, the defeated hosts set about working out what went wrong.

They allowed Emiliano Boffelli and Santiago Carreras to cross for second-half tries, with Boffelli finishing with 25 points in all thanks to his strong kicking performance.

Farrell said England must show a response, with matches against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to come this month.

"We've got a long way to go this autumn and need to make sure we don't drop any confidence because of this," Farrell said.

On a boggy surface, England failed to cope as well as their visitors, and Farrell said: "We kind of let the pressure off a lot of the times. We played the game we thought we needed. It's a wet, wet pitch and both teams didn't really move the ball that well.

"We weren't at our best, definitely not, and that's what were here to do, to get the best out of ourselves.

"We'll have a good look. There were some good bits, and it felt like it was coming. I just think a bit of discipline and errors of not quite being on the same page at times cost us that extra bit of momentum, what it takes to get in front and stay in front."

Boffelli said Michael Cheika's victorious team would enjoy their big moment.

He said: "I'm very happy, we are very happy. Tomorrow we will think about Wales, that follows. We spoke about how we must try to stay close in the score."

Speaking about the influence of Australian coach Cheika, who guided Argentina to wins over Australia and New Zealand in this year's Rugby Championship, Boffelli said: "Everyone knows Michael Cheika as a coach, and it's very important for us.

"He has experience in international rugby and he is confident in us, and that's good. I'm very happy with that, but the team did a good day."

Related items

  • Southgate: Man United speculation 'a complete irrelevance' Southgate: Man United speculation 'a complete irrelevance'

    Gareth Southgate says speculation linking him with the Manchester United job is "a complete irrelevance" as his entire focus is on England's Euro 2024 campaign.

    The England manager has been tipped as a contender to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford should United part ways with the Dutchman at the end of the season.

    Southgate is due to be out of contract later this year, with suggestions that the upcoming European Championship finals will be his last tournament as Three Lions chief.

    However, amid the talk over where he could end up later this year, the 53-year-old is not looking beyond the Euros.

    "I've got one thing to focus on, and that's having as successful a tournament with England as possible," he told ITV News.

    "Everything else outside of that is a complete irrelevance to me."

    Asked specifically about the United links in a separate interview with BBC Sport, Southgate said: "There will always be speculation about managers.

    "If you lose a couple of games, you're in trouble - you win a couple of games and it is a different agenda.

    "But for me, [Euro 2024] is a brilliant opportunity. We're looking forward to the tournament. My focus is on how do we go a step further than we went in the last Euros."

    Southgate has been England boss since 2016 and previously hinted he contemplated stepping down after the World Cup quarter-final loss to France in December 2022.

    Despite the fact his deal expires in the next six months, Southgate insists that is not a concern ahead of the Euros in Germany.

    "It's not an issue and never has been," Southgate said. "I have to deliver a successful tournament for England and there's enough work involved in that.

    "I think everybody would expect that's where my focus should be."

  • All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby

    New Zealand captain Sam Cane has announced he will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024, having agreed a three-year contract with Japan Rugby League One team Tokyo Sungoliath.

    Cane made his All Blacks debut in 2012 and has represented his country 95 times, including through the team's triumphant run at the 2015 World Cup.

    The flanker succeeded Kieran Read as captain in 2020, though his most recent international outing ended with him suffering the ignominy of becoming the first man to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, as New Zealand were beaten by South Africa last year.

    Cane will be eligible to represent the All Blacks through the second half of 2024 after returning from an initial spell in Japan but will then head there permanently after New Zealand Rugby agreed to release him from his contract. 

    "A good opportunity came my way with Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said. "I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family it seemed like the best decision to help set us up for our future.

    "I had my time as captain and it was a huge honour and privilege. If I'm fortunate enough to be selected for the All Blacks this year then I'll still be myself. 

    "I love that team, and if part of my role is contributing leadership-wise, I'll be happy to support the new captain as best I can to help with a speedy transition."

  • Broad fears for inexperienced England bowling attack after Anderson retirement Broad fears for inexperienced England bowling attack after Anderson retirement

    Stuart Broad fears an inexperienced England bowling attack could be exposed to problems after James Anderson announced his Test retirement decision on Saturday.

    England's all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson will end his remarkable red-ball career after the first Test against West Indies on July 10.

    Anderson has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests, the most by any pace bowler in history, but the 41-year-old will play for a final time after Brendon McCullum signalled a change of plans for the future.

    Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson are all potential replacements, though Broad remains concerned for Ben Stokes' bowling options going forward.

    "England could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group," Broad told Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

    "If you don't play a [Chris] Woakes, Mark Wood has a rest and there's no Jimmy Anderson, you could have three seamers and a spinner out there potentially with 20 caps between them.

    "That's quite scary as a Test captain I would have thought. We don't know how much [Ben] Stokesy's going to bowl – we hope he does.

    "But that could leave you a bit exposed. There's only one way to find out with bowlers, and that's to give them a go."

    Anderson's opening-bowler partner Broad retired after last year's Ashes, having finished his illustrious career with 604 Test wickets.

    Having neither of the pair available to lead the line with the red ball in future may pose problems and Broad reiterated his concern over the gaping gap Anderson's retirement will leave.

    "There's going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into," he added.

    "And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, pitches and times of Test matches.

    "Ultimately, you don't learn that unless you're thrown in."

    Broad, however, remains hopeful that Stokes and McCullum will find the right combinations to take England into a new era of Test cricket.

    "I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important, because there's talent out there," Broad continued.

    "There's bowlers out there that need a bit of exposure to see what it's about in Test match cricket.

    "They may need time to adjust their training plan and how they operate before a tour in two years' time."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.