Are England underdogs for their crunch World Cup opener against Argentina? Lewis Ludlam certainly thinks so – “Coming into a tournament as an underdog is a beautiful position to be in” – but Owen Farrell, suspended for Saturday’s match in Marseille, is less sure: “Not necessarily”. Steve Borthwick, for his part, refused to engage with the question. Everyone is entitled to their own view but an inability to agree on expectations does not exactly scream ideal preparation.
Nevertheless, England have decamped to their team base in Le Touquet and taken their optimism that things will be alright on the night against Argentina with them. Tucked away in northern France, away from their supporters who have all but lost faith in the tournament chances, England seem to have taken a collective breath out and Borthwick insists he is “very confident” that his players will produce a performance that has eluded them this summer – arguably since he took charge of his first match in February – in Marseille.
