George Ford had Jannie de Beer and England team-mate Danny Care in his sights as he masterminded a stunning 27-10 victory over Argentina in their World Cup clash at the Stade Velodrome.
Steve Borthwick’s men entered the Pool D opener as underdogs for the first time in the history of the fixture yet emerged conclusive winners despite seeing Tom Curry sent off in the third minute for a dangerous tackle.
Confronted by crisis yet again – Curry was their fourth red card in six Tests – they responded defiantly by matching spirited defence with smart, on-the-hoof game management.
Ford took command of an ugly spectacle by kicking the shambolic Pumas into oblivion, landing six penalties and three drop goals while intelligently steering his team around the field.
It was the drop goals – all landed in the second quarter – that infused England with belief and in the process evoked memories of when South Africa’s De Beer slotted a record five to boot them out of the 1999 World Cup.
But Ford joked that an internal rivalry also drove him on in a win that offers clear sight of the knockout phase.
“Jannie de Beer is the guy who got five in a game? I thought I was on track at one point. Five is incredible!” the Sale fly-half said.
“I’ve not kicked three in a game before. We were actually laughing in the changing room afterwards because Danny Care out of the squad was the guy with the most drop-goals for England (three).
“So I thought that’s not right, I need to put an end to that! Maybe that was the meaning behind this win!
“The crucial one was the third one that took us more than seven points ahead. That’s the life of a kicker sometimes. Some days you can’t hit a barn door, some days you can’t miss.
“In a game like this where it was dead greasy, it wasn’t going to be easy to hold the ball, move the ball and score tries. To get more than seven ahead was critical for us.”
Along with his fellow fly-halves Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith, Ford has been drilling drop-goals in training in the knowledge they could prove decisive in tight games at the World Cup.
“Marcus, Owen and myself, after every session we are doing drop goals. It’s part of what we do, it is part of our plan,” Ford said.
“We get the nines to pass us the ball and we get some guys to come over and put pressure on us. So we try and make it as realistic as possible.
“The thing with drop goals is when the opposition least expect it. It is to try and disguise it a little bit then you give yourself a little more time and space and hopefully try and kick it.”
“It’s such a crucial and critical weapon at times, especially when you see how influential they have been at World Cups.
“It’s something we have spoken about a tiny bit more, but the whole plan wasn’t about drop goals, it was just about imposing pressure and trying to come away with points in any way we can.”
Australia victory a 'relief but enjoyable', says Ireland captain Doris
Caelan Doris said Ireland's victory over Australia in their final Autumn Nations Series campaign came with "relief, but also enjoyment" at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Ireland earned a hard-fought 22-19 win to earn their third victory on the spin after starting their campaign with a first home defeat in more than three years to New Zealand.
In what was Joe Schmidt's first match in Dublin since leaving the Ireland job in 2019, his Wallabies side threatened to spoil the Irish Rugby Football Union's 150th anniversary celebrations.
Australia had led for much of the contest and held a 13-5 advantage at the interval thanks to Max Jorgensen's try and some superb kicking from Noah Lolesio.
But Gus McCarthy's try clinched an Irish win, with Josh van der Flier and Doris also scoring tries for the hosts.
"There's relief, but there's also enjoyment there too. It's a quality side, they are Joe Schmidt-coached, and we knew it was going to be top class," Doris said.
"Their attack was right up there, and it was a test for our defence. It was back and forth throughout, and we're delighted with the outcome.
"It felt like we dominated possession and territory, but there was quite a lot of inaccuracy in their 22 and half. We turned it around and it was better in the second half."
The encounter also saw Cian Healy become the most-capped player when he came off the bench to win his 134th cap and surpass former captain Brian O'Driscoll.
For Schmidt, it was an unhappy return to Irish soil, though he can be happy with his side's display.
While he was disappointed to lose in Ireland, his Wallabies side again proved themselves a dangerous outfit, though he said he knew Saturday's hosts had a performance like that in them.
"I already knew that this group of young men had it in them. It was just for them to find it and galvanise each other," Schmidt said.
"I felt at times in that first half we didn't quite capitalise on some of the line breaks that we made. Max Jorgensen's try was really well worked.
"In the second half my one disappointment around the game is I felt we got quite conservative.
"When you do that against Ireland and you are hanging on, you've a four-point lead and you're hoping that's enough, but we tried to do that from too far out.
"I don't know what the territory or possession stats were but we were having to work very hard."
Suaalii boost for Australia ahead of Ireland clash
Joseph Suaalii has shrugged off a knock to be available for Australia's Test against Ireland on Saturday, coach Joe Schmidt confirmed.
Australia are looking to bounce back from Sunday's 27-13 defeat to Scotland in the concluding autumn Test at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Suaalii was withdrawn in the early stages of the contest against Scotland in Edinburgh amid fears that he had suffered a broken wrist.
"Joe's fine, he got one of those stingers where he had a bit of a dead arm," Schmidt said, providing an update on the 21-year-old Australia centre.
"We felt it was better to get it properly assessed, and we couldn't hold the game up to do that, so we took him out of the game against Scotland."
Against England earlier this month, rugby league convert Suaalii became only the third player after Matt Giteau and Tatafu Polota-Nau to debut for the Wallabies before playing in Super Rugby.
Schmidt, who coached Ireland from 2013 to 2019, has made five changes to his side from the defeat to the Scots.
James Slipper and Taniela Tupou have been recalled to the squad, while Jeremy Williams comes back from illness alongside Nick Frost.
Fraser McReight is also drafted into the back row while fly-half Tane Edmed is set for a first cap after finding a place among the replacements.
Meanwhile, Ireland have retained Sam Prendergast at fly-half for the autumn finale ahead of Jack Crowley.
Head coach Andy Farrell has also made five changes to an Ireland side that go into the Test on the back of a 52-17 win against Fiji.
Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, Ronan Kelleher and James Ryan all return to Farrell's side as they look to finish on a high.
Marler announces retirement from professional rugby
Joe Marler has announced his retirement from professional rugby, revealing he will "finally jump off the rollercoaster" following Harlequins' clash with Bristol Bears on Friday.
The former England prop will bring the curtain down on his decorated career at the age of 34.
Marler has spent his entire club career with Harlequins, winning two Premiership titles, the European Challenge Cup and making over 200 appearances.
He also earned 95 caps for England, who he represented at three World Cups - helping them reach the 2019 final and 2023 semi-finals - while also winning three Six Nations Championships.
"The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game," he said in a statement. "On Friday night, I'll play my last-ever match for Quins. After all these happy years, it's over.
"I feel lucky to have pulled on the jersey worn by so many idols of mine, and so many better players.
"That's an incredible thing to me. I got to stand alongside so many great players and people that have made this club so special."
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