England v Argentina LIVE: Result and reaction from Rugby World Cup 2023 as England win despite red card

Time to deliver

A curious feature of England’s dismal run of just three wins in nine Tests under head coach Borthwick has been the lack of form seen from stars such as Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Freddie Steward.

If Argentina are to be dispatched, they will need to exit their slump with a bang. On paper, England have a strong starting XV but when so many are underperforming the odds are stacked against them.

England and Argentina collide in their pivotal World Cup opener today with Steve Borthwick’s side in the unusual position of being considered underdogs.

Here are five talking points heading into the fixture.

Moment of truth

England have been upbeat since their arrival in France, refreshed by the change of scenery that provided a locational reset in the wake of losing five of their last six Tests.

The positive talk must now be backed up with action on the pitch but on the basis of recent evidence it is hard to see how the upset will be sprung given so many areas of their game are malfunctioning. The stakes are high - win and England suddenly have a cause to rally around, lose and each remaining game in Pool D brings do or die jeopardy.

For Alex Mitchell, it’s been a rollercoaster couple of months. When the scrum half was cut from Steve Borthwick’s wider England training squad at the end of June, it looked like his World Cup dreams had been dashed. Mitchell began to contemplate a start of the season with Northampton and a watching tournament brief.

But an injury to Jack van Poortvliet opened the door, and Mitchell, true to form, darted through it. One of England’s only bright spots on an otherwise gloomy day against Fiji, Mitchell has earned himself the starting nine shirt for England’s tournament opener against Argentina in Marseille.

The Saints scrum half has arguably been the form nine, a free thinking sprite with the ability to challenge the line. “It is immense credit to [him],” Steve Borthwick said after naming his team on Thursday. “He was incredibly disappointed not to make the original 33-man squad.

“Every player I spoke to at that point I asked to go away and ensure they were ready to be the next man in. An opportunity opened up. One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. For this game, to start this game, what Mitch brings is what is right for this team and the combinations we have. Everyone knows he is a dangerous running threat.”

Read Harry Latham-Coyle’s full analysis of England’s team selection:

Fan-inspired England rugby artwork has been “unveiled” by O2 at the Louvre Museum in Paris ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

The portrait, which features real fans and O2 customers, was created by award-winning Canadian artist Vincent McIndoe and is inspired by the host nation through the “French Romanticism” style which captures the emotion and drama fans feel while supporting their team.

It is titled Wear La Rose. Former England captain Dylan Hartley was seen unveiling the painting at the Louvre ahead of it travelling to other Paris landmarks and locations such as the Arc de Triomphe and along the Seine.

Argentina’s scrum may lack the potency of old but Dan Cole insists it remains a significant threat to England’s goal of making a triumphant start to their World Cup.

Two sides who take pride in their forward dominance collide in Pool D’s highest-profile fixture in Marseille on Saturday, with the winners placing one foot into the quarter-finals.

Argentina’s last great scrum was 2015 when feared props Marcos Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera helped them reach the World Cup semi-finals, but more strings have now been added to the Pumas’ bow.

But tighthead prop Cole insists that with his Leicester mate Julian Montoya present in their front row at hooker, they are still a formidable set-piece unit.

He said: “It’s a force. Whether it’s the force of your (Martin) Scelzos, (Rodrigo) Ronceros and (Mario) Ledesmas, but you still have Montoya, who I know brilliantly well.”

Argentina’s Juan Cruz Mallia returns at full back to face England and will be the back-up fly half option as coach Michael Cheika opts for six forwards on the bench. The versatile Mallia is part of a back three with goal-kicker Emiliano Boffelli and Mateo Carreras on the wings and a powerful midfield of Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti, while Santiago Carreras and Gonzalo Bertranou are his preferred half-back pairing.

Argentina XV: Juan Cruz Mallia, Emiliano Boffelli, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Matias Alemanno, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Julian Montoya, Thomas Gallo

Replacements: Augustin Creevy, Joel Sclavi, Eduardo Bello, Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo, Rodrigo Bruni, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Matias Moroni

England surprisingly selected Alex Mitchell at scrum half for the opening match. Mitchell was not in the original 33-man squad for the tournament, but was called up following an injury to Jack van Poortvliet. The huge call by Steve Borthwick sees the experienced Danny Care start on the bench with Ben Youngs not in the matchday squad.

Winger Jonny May is in a similar situation, having been a late call-up after Anthony Watson’s injury but now starting in the back three, while George Ford is handed the fly-half shirt in the absence of Owen Farrell and Ben Earl fills in at No 8 for the suspended Billy Vunipola, with Tom Curry fit again to take his place at openside flanker.

England XV: Freddie Steward, Jonny May, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly, George Ford, Alex Mitchell, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Ben Earl

Replacements: Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, George Martin, Lewis Ludlam, Danny Care, Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence

When is England vs Argentina?

England take on Argentina in their first Rugby World Cup match of Pool D on Saturday 9 September at 8pm BST at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown live on ITV1 and streaming platform ITVX website and app, with coverage starting at 6.45pm BST.

England have rarely gone into a competition as such underdogs, and it’s even more surprising considering they reached the final of the last Rugby World Cup in Japan four years ago, but the levels of optimism have never been lower before their opening game against Argentina.

While the tag of underdogs might do them some favours, under Steve Borthwick - who took charge of his first match in February - England have struggled. They have won just two of their nine fixtures in 2023, and in the summer nations series, both failed to sell out Twickenham, and failed to beat Fiji.

England have moved out of the spotlight and across the channel, to their base at Le Touquet in northern France in a hope that will rejuvinate a squad who conceded 30 tries in their last nine matches, including 12 in the competition warm-up clashes.

The fans will be hoping England can push on from their poor year and perform on the highest stage, starting off against Argentina.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game

The tournament finally got underway at the Stade de France last night as France defeated New Zealand to hand the All Blacks a first-ever pool stage loss.

Check out Luke Baker’s full report from a memorable night in Paris below:

Pressure can do strange things to teams. Even the best in the world can suddenly struggle to execute the most basic skills under the burden of expectation.

On a night when a raucous, febrile Stade de France crowd more than did their part, their heroes on the field often failed to do theirs – certainly in the swashbuckling, free-flowing manner we have become accustomed to over the past few years.

Yet somehow, someway, and even with the talismanic Antoine Dupont kept quiet, France emerged comfortably victorious against New Zealand. Barring some catastrophe or act of God in their remaining group games against the overmatched trio of Italy, Namibia and Uruguay, they can now safely start turning their focus to a quarter-final.