England have vowed to come out “all guns blazing” against Argentina in Saturday’s crunch World Cup opener after claiming they have been written off too early amid a desperate buildup to the tournament.
The head coach, Steve Borthwick, has handed a surprise start to the livewire scrum-half Alex Mitchell and struck a defiant tone on Thursday following widespread criticism of England’s performances since he took over in December. Tom Curry has also been chosen for his first England appearance under Borthwick, having recovered from an ankle injury, while Jonny May – like Mitchell – will start despite missing out on the initial 33-man World Cup squad.
