5 Things We Learned: England 27-10 Argentina Rugby World Cup

Steve Borthwick was under pressure heading into England's opening match in Pool D, and an solid, 14-man performance presents confident signs with this win over Los Pumas. Argentina were considered the hardest opponents for England in the pool, with a great weight now lifted off the backs of the team with Japan on the horizon.

Here are the top five talking points, from England's victory over Argentina.

England began their Rugby World Cup campaign without their Captain Owen Farrell, as the fly half serves a prolonged suspension following a high tackle on Wales' Taine Basham. George Ford started in the 10 jersey, with Marcus Smith on the bench. However, this could well be the new normal, as the Sale Sharks man lead the line confidently from the get-go.

Ford controlled the tempo, and varied the options between sending the ball high or utilising his outside carriers. Ford was hit late by a jumping Santiago Carreras after eight minutes, yet despite the heavy collision, the fly half was able to slot the following penalty and bring his side back from their only stint behind the Argentines.

A magnificent trifecta of drop goals was a sight to behold, as Ford kept the scoreboard ticking over with some audacious attempts. His first effort came after 27 minutes, which caught everyone in Marseille by surprise. The second effort after the half hour mark was an unbelievable strike, as Ford sent the ball sailing through the posts from the half way line. He completed his drop goal hat-trick four minutes before the break, with the trio made possible thanks to the quick ball supplied by re-called scrum half Alex Mitchell.

Ford surpassed his points record for a single England game, with a 27 point haul optimising his stand-out performance. Three points better than his 24 point tally against France in the 2020 Six Nations, Ford was excellent today, with Owen Farrell's absence having seemingly no impact on the players. Admittedly, Argentina were poor for their standards, yet Ford's dynamic attacking orchestrated a relentless tempo, which Los Pumas could not withstand as the penalty count grew ever higher.

Ford received a resounding ovation as he was substituted off after he nailed his sixth penalty. Marcus Smith replaced Ford with just five minutes left on the clock, with the damage already more than done thanks to the Sale man's sharpshooting from the tee, and out of his hands.

You would be excused for forgetting that England were playing without their captain, as Steve Borthwick's men put in a stunning performance against Los Pumas. Farrell was shown on the screens watching on from the stands in Marseille, however will the Saracen remain on the side-line once he has served his suspension? There is no denying that Ford had a blistering performance against Argentina, with his well-rounded outing not limited to just his all-important points scoring.

So, failing a Farrell return to fly half, you have to look to the centres, with all of England's midfielders putting in strong performances tonight. Manu Tuilagi had an especially good role at centre, as he carried hard and hit even harder. His crunching highlight-reel worthy tackle on Santiago Chocobares sent shockwaves down to the Mediterranean, all the while packing down the scrum at openside flanker following the early dismissal of Tom Curry.

Ollie Lawrence had a decent run out, when he came on for Tuilagi mid-way through the second half. Joe Marchant also had another solid effort, however he did make some unforced errors in try-scoring opportunities for England. Marchant overrun his winger Jonny May, with the Gloucester man furious for not receiving the ball earlier on the overlap. However despite that, Marchant did put in a good performance, and linked up well with his midfield and halfback partners.

The most viable way to force Owen Farrell back into the current England team following that match, would be to have the Saracen start at 12, with Manu Tuilagi outside him. Steve Borthwick may well be set to bring back the tried and tested Ford-Farrell partnership that prospered under Eddie Jones four years ago in Japan, and took England all the way to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final. The 2020 Six Nations winning combination could well be utilised, with Borthwick eager to capitalise on Ford's invigorating form, and keep his former Leicester Tigers man on the pitch.

3. Tom Curry's Red Card and Ben Earl Flies High In Vunipola's Absence

After being issued a two match ban following a high tackle against Ireland in the Summer, Billy Vunipola missed out on England's opening match against Argentina with Ben Earl taking up the mantle at number eight. Tom Curry also made his long awaited return from injury, yet despite playing at number eight for England at the tale end of the Eddie Jones era, Curry was preferred to start at openside flanker instead.

However, Curry's appearance in Marseille was merely a cameo, as he was promptly dismissed following a head to head collision, less than three minutes into the match. An accidental and unfortunate offence saw Curry sent to the stands, as he clashed heads with Argentine fullback Juan Cruz Mallia, who landed after catching a high ball. The number 15 was busted open, whilst Curry presented his finest 'Terry Butcher' impression with a heavy bandage.

The rugby landscape erupted on social media to the early dismissal, with the likes of former England flanker Lewis Moody calling the decision 'harsh'. This offence becomes England's fourth red card since March, with Freddie Steward, Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola and now Curry racking up the discipline sheet in the past few months. Curry's offence carried great gravitas, as it was England's first ever red card at a Rugby World Cup.

Ben Earl had a strong game, with another resolute performance at number eight. It will be interesting to see if Vunipola is immediately recalled into the starting line-up for next Sunday's match against Japan, as Earl is providing real workhorse performances, with a specialism for a dramatic turnover. Sure the critics remain around his 'over celebrating', yet Earl's passion simply can't be contained by punching the air. England had something to shout about tonight, with an all-important win secured in Marseille.

Despite all of the plaudits going to George Ford, England's fly half would not have been able to come up with the goods without the expert distribution of Alex Mitchell. Steve Borthwick pleased the England fans by naming Mitchell to start against Argentina, as he fast-tracked the Northampton man to the nine jersey ahead of veterans Ben Youngs and Danny Care.

Youngs was not even included in the match-day squad to take on Los Pumas, who coincidentally were the side that the Leicester scrum half made his Rugby World Cup against in 2011. Youngs was unable to replicate his match-winning heroics of 12 years ago, with Danny Care allotted the spot on the bench.

Mitchell returned to the squad after Jack van Poortvliet's World Cup ended before it began, with a brutal ankle injury suffered against Wales at Twickenham. Mitchell had a strong all-rounding performance for England, starting off by confidently igniting the ariel battle with astutely placed box kicks. He swept up well, covering early chips of the England defence and made his tackles with aplomb.

The Saints man looked like he belonged out amongst the England stalwarts, as he bossed around the likes of Itoje, Tuilagi and Ford to integrate the forwards into the back-line. To the rejoice of England fans, quick-ball was the order of the day against Argentina. After suffering defeat to Michael Cheika's side back in the latest Autumn Series, the England players knew how physical Argentina are at the breakdown, with Mitchell more than happy to oblige with quick rucks.

Mitchell made good on his opportunity, however, it wouldn't be unexpected to see one of the more experienced scrum halves take the lead next Sunday. Mitchell could come on after any hopes of a Japan upset win have been squashed, so England don't become the next favourited side to be undone by the Brave Blossoms at the Rugby World Cup.

In the absence of Owen Farrell, England's captaincy has recently been bestowed to Courtney Lawes. He took over the armband from Ellis Genge for his 100th test match against Fiji, yet the Pacific Islanders upset his day with a historic victory at Twickenham last month. Lawes led from the front as England made amends, in what was a real day of retribution for the otherwise laid-back loose forward.

Lawes often leaves the jubilant celebration to the likes of Earl, Genge and Itoje, yet the Saints man could not help but show his emotions when England achieved a key penalty in the matches' latter stages. More often than not, Lawes was the man who took the pats on the back after coming up with the ball from a breakdown, with a masterful showing of how to jackal demonstrated in Marseille.

Lawes' most significant turnover saw him expertly read a pre-mediated Argentine penalty move. He paid no notice of the attempted distraction tactics, for the Pumas move straight from the training pitch, and timed his jackal to perfection, for a huge turnover on England's five metre line. More than making up for the defeat against Fiji, Lawes was at the top of his game today, and presented England fans with plenty to cheer about when Ford wasn't sending the ball over the posts.

Lawes flew out the line to make hits in his trademark fashion, with the Argentine ball carriers driven backwards by the Northampton man. It may well be 'Saint George' taking the headlines after a clinical display at fly half, yet England would not have reached their heights they did today if it was not for another certain Saint from Northampton.

PENALTIES: 6 (Ford 9' 45' 53' 58', 66', 74')

DROP GOALS: 3 (Ford 27', 30', 36',)

YELLOW CARDS / BUNKERS: 1 (Curry 3')

RED CARDS: 1 (Curry 3')

TRIES: 1 (Bruni 80')

CONVERSIONS: 1 (Boffelli 80')

PENALTIES: 1 (Boffelli 4')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS / BUNKERS: 1 (S. Carreras 8')

RED CARDS: 0