England can't afford to slip again

England v Argentina: THE UNIVERSAL clamour of disapproval following last week's insipid performance in losing to Australia will become a great deal more raucous if England underachieve for a second successive weekend at Twickenham.

It’s not just about winning, although England’s lead charioteer Martin Johnson would probably accept any version of a victory at this point. He should aspire to loftier goals against an Argentina team shorn of several first-choice players and one of those must be encouraging his side to become more than a lumbering, muscle-bound caricature.

England were one dimensional against the Aussies and when brawn didn’t suffice, they didn’t possess the nous to either get around their opponents or the invention and sharp running lines to play through them. Instead England drifted laterally behind the scrum, too often forcing the pass or adopting the poorly co-ordinated kick-chase principle.

When England outhalf Jonny Wilkinson is lauded for his tackling (excellent) rather than creativity (negligible) it is a damning indictment of his team’s attacking gambits. Shane Geraghty tried too hard at inside centre, the end product a litany of errors. Ugo Monye missed tackles, so too Mark Cueto, while Matt Banahan obviously believes size conquers all. The English backline needs to be appreciably more patient, precise and inventive.

Argentina are without four talismanic figures, Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Leguizamon, Rimas Alvarez Kairelis and Felipe Contepomi, all injured. They still possess a hard-core pack and in the tight they’ll try to destabilise their hosts.

Argentina won on their last visit to Twickenham in 2006 but seem a little short-handed, personnel wise, to repeat that feat: even against a potentially fretful England team.