Skip to content
en-gb GO TO bet365 Sports
  1. Rugby Union
  2. Rugby World Cup

England v Chile review: Dominant England showcase attacking talents

England produced their most destructive performance of the Rugby World Cup in a crushing 71-0 victory over Chile to make it three wins from three.

After a frustrating start in which Steve Borthwick's men were kept at bay by Chile with 19 minutes on the clock, the Red Rose then clicked into overdrive for the rest of the encounter, running in no less than 11 tries in the 71-0 victory.

Henry Arundell grabbed a joint-record five tries for England on his World Cup debut, while Marcus Smith also crossed twice with an impressive performance at full-back.

England are sitting pretty with 14 points at the top of Pool D and have all but qualified for the knockout stages, with a nine-point gap back to both Samoa and Japan.

Next up for the Red Rose is a final Pool D clash against Samoa in Lille on Saturday 7th October and Borthwick's side will be looking to secure their place in the quarter-finals as group winners.

WhatEngland v Samoa
WhereStade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
When16:45, Saturday 7th October
How to watchITV1

Arundell makes strong case

England were always expected to get the better of Chile, but the question was whether the Red Rose could produce an attacking performance that has been desperately missing and rack up a big score.

Although being frustrated in the early exchanges, the first try opened the floodgates and one of the shining lights for England was World Cup debutant Arundell, who ran in five tries.

The 20-year-old didn't need to turn on the style much, as four of those efforts were easy scores, but he has done his chances of starting the last Pool D encounter no harm.

With Jonny May not exactly impressing in the opening two matches, his position on the right wing is under threat after Arundell's showing and he has given Borthwick plenty food for thought.

Smith shines in full-back role

Another interesting change to the starting XV was Smith coming in at full-back for Freddie Steward, who was given the night off.

These two are very much chalk and cheese when it comes to style at the No. 15, with Steward a towering back who is superb under the high ball and this is an area of attack that the Red Rose often attempt to exploit.

Smith, predominantly a fly-half, brings a little more creative to the side with his vision, clever kicks and jinxing runs causing all sorts of problems for the Chile defence.

While Steward will not be displaced at full-back when it comes to the bigger matches, Borthwick knows he has an extra dimension to that position with Smith if he needs to change things up and make something happen.

With Owen Farrell and George Ford battling it out for the fly-half position, Smith's best opportunity of getting minutes at the Rugby World Cup looks to be at 15.

Farrell or Ford?

Having put in a starring performance against Argentina and backing that up in the win over Japan, Ford dropped to the bench for the Chile victory, with Farrell available after suspension.

The 32-year-old Saracens ace needed a strong performance to remind everyone what he is capable of, as there were questions about his starting spot in the side.

Farrell did exactly that as he nailed eight out of 11 conversions to end the game with 16 points, while he also made some good passes that helped England in attack.

Borthwick now has a huge decision to make ahead of the Samoa clash. Does he stay with Farrell for the second game in a row or does he recall Ford?

Having guided England to wins in the first two matches, it seems harsh that Ford might not be reinstated to the XV given the quality of his performances.

But Farrell has been the main man for the Red Rose for several years now and his usually assured kicking makes him perfect for the points-building approach often adopted.

There is, of course, always the option of putting Farrell into the centres, but this switch hasn't really worked from previous efforts and it may prove best to keep the Saracens star in his normal position.

It is certainly not a bad selection headache for Borthwick to have, with Farrell and Ford in solid form, and it will be interesting to see which way he goes for the next outing.

Related Articles

bet365 uses cookies

We use cookies to deliver a better and more personalised service. For more information, see our Cookie Policy

New to bet365? Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets

Join Now

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.