Argentina mindful that red cards could prove their undoing at World Cup

BUENOS AIRES : Argentina, wary of red cards and mindful of how crucial it can be to win an opening match, have worked hard to ensure a serious error does not mar their chances at the World Cup in France.

A shock victory over hosts France in the 2007 tournament opener put the Pumas on a path to the bronze medal, while defeat by the French in Japan four years ago made it almost certain they would not progress from a group also containing England.

When lock Tomas Lavanini was sent off 19 minutes into their clash with the English in 2019 any chance of an upset was lost, and England's present troubles with indiscipline have sharpened Argentina’s minds.

“It’s the first time in my life as a coach that I’ve been training something specific to avoid a penalty, like lowering the height of tackles”, said coach Michael Cheika. “It’s a big part of rugby these days and we’re practising that every day.”

Argentina had a red card under Cheika’s watch when back row Marcos Kremer was sent off against Scotland at Murrayfield last November, while England have had captain Owen Farrell and number eight Billy Vunipola suspended after dangerous tackles during World Cup warm-up tests.

Both sides will want a victory in Marseille on Sept. 9 ahead of meetings with in-form Samoa and Japan that could complicate their routes to the knockout phase.

Cheika and his England counterpart Steve Borthwick have had to juggle with playmaking issues, more so the latter given Farrell’s unavailability for the early part of the tournament.

EXPERIENCED PAIRING

When Cheika took over from Mario Ledesma last year he was looking forward to working with seasoned pairing Nicolas Sanchez and Tomas Cubelli but injuries robbed him of the chance until Argentina’s final warm-up, a 62-3