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England will NOT drop the drop-goals! After George Ford’s heroics against Argentina, Elliot Daly says the skill will be key to World Cup dreams of Steve Borthwick’s side

England are ready to wield their new weapon of choice again this weekend, by launching another drop-goal barrage in the Pool D encounter with Japan here by the Mediterranean.

Steve Borthwick’s national team were propelled towards victory in their World Cup opener against Argentina by a salvo of three deadly drops by George Ford – the second of them from the halfway line at Stade Velodrome in Marseille. Having had success with what Maro Itoje referred to as a ‘Nineties rugby’ ploy, England won’t hesitate to fire similar shots on Sunday.

Ford is not the only member of the squad who has been practising that particular skill. Wing Elliot Daly – who is renowned as a long-range place kicker – said: ‘We’ll try a few, yeah. I’ve hit one before, so we’ll see. It’s in the veins now, so everyone wants a go!’

Asked if the tactic is a useful means of causing disruption for opposition defences, the Saracen added: ‘I definitely think so. Maybe it’s one of those things that’s gone out the game a bit. At the weekend, we were numbers down in some scenarios and Fordy’s just gone in the pocket.

‘Argentina were probably thinking, “How are we 12-3 down when they haven’t really done anything?”. Mentally, that can help because they start forcing things because of scoreboard pressure.’

Elliot Daly has described how England plan to deploy their potent drop-goals against Japan

Elliot Daly has described how England plan to deploy their potent drop-goals against Japan

George Ford scored three in the Red Roses' tournament-opener against Argentina last week

George Ford scored three in the Red Roses’ tournament-opener against Argentina last week

Steve Borthwick's side caught their opponents offguard and will look to threaten once again

Steve Borthwick’s side caught their opponents offguard and will look to threaten once again

Ford’s three shots of gold were a product of much preparation on the training ground since England arrived at their tournament base in Le Touquet on France’s north coast. Both defence coach Kevin Sinfield and attack coach Richard Wigglesworth have been involved in a plan which has caught other participating nations by surprise and is bound to be hurriedly copied in the weeks ahead.

Sinfield also suggested that Ford is not the only England player who can pose this type of threat to Japan and subsequent rivals, saying: ‘We are blessed within the squad with having a number of great kickers. We’ve got three wonderful 10s (Ford, Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith).

‘Danny Care has a history of kicking a few drop goals as well. Our game-plan is determined by what the opposition bring, but also on what we have available. I thought George was outstanding at the weekend. He’s one of a number who can kick drop-goals from 50 metres.’

Wigglesworth confirmed that England would readily adopt the same approach again, but was at pains to emphasise that their objective is to have a multi-dimensional attacking game. ‘We want it as part of our armoury, because you’ve got a world-class kicker in George Ford and when you keep the scoreboard ticking over, it’s obviously a massive advantage,’ he said. But there will definitely be other things in our armoury this weekend.’

This World Cup has already been marked by some noticeably long-distance kicking – both at goal and from hand. Wigglesworth added: ‘When I watched the first game, they were kicking it from 22 to 22. The balls are slightly different. They never say they’re different, but they are slightly different.

‘Big stadiums help, for some reason, plus the lack of wind. All the best kickers in the world are on show so we’ve seen some guys hit it a long way. Ramos and Dupont tend to hit the ball a mile, it’s what they do. George Ford is as good a dead ball punter as you’ll see.’

There was deserved acclaim for England’s performance in their 27-10 win against Argentina, given how they responded to adversity after Tom Curry’s third-minute dismissal for a high tackle. However, when the dust settled, a squad review produced an honest verdict on the urgent need to polish the Red Rose attack, which is still a work in progress.

When asked how much more is to come in that area, Daly said: ‘Quite a bit. The way we attacked early on, and then even with 14 men, we did get it to the edge and we did have quite a lot of space out there. We were creating, but the way those games go, you’re almost better off without the ball a with 14. Try to put pressure back on them, make them make a mistake and that’s what we did well.

Danny Care (pictured) could also be called upon to provide expert kicking, as well as England's 10s Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell, once the latter returns from suspension

Danny Care (pictured) could also be called upon to provide expert kicking, as well as England’s 10s Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell, once the latter returns from suspension

Daly detailed how heaped pressure from England helped shift momentum against Argentina

Daly detailed how heaped pressure from England helped shift momentum against Argentina

‘There’s a lot more to come, I’m very excited. We know how good our attack can be, so hopefully in the next few games we’ll be able to show that.’

So is there a desire to thrill the nation, with a rugby version of ‘Baz-ball’? ‘Well, you want to, but you only really do that if you win,’ added Daly. ‘We’re not saying we’re going to chuck the ball around, do this, do that, but we’re going to put ourselves in positions in attack to take the opportunities we create.’

Tellingly, when reflecting on the opening round of matches, Daly noted how the All Blacks paid for showing too much ambition against France, adding: ‘New Zealand obviously looked to play a little bit more with the ball and probably got themselves in a bit of trouble with that.

‘With the conditions, there were a lot of turnovers. It doesn’t look very greasy on TV, but it is. If you’re playing at 3pm then it’s sweat and if not it’s probably dew later on.’

Meanwhile, Lewis Ludlam is in line to replace the banned Tom Curry in England’s side to face Japan, while Billy Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler are set to return to match-day duty after missing the World Cup opener against Argentina.

Northampton captain Ludlam had a dramatic impact off the bench in the win over the Pumas in Marseille – making 12 tackles in just 15 minutes on the field last Saturday. Having given another demonstration of his tenacity, dynamism and aggression, the 27-year-old is expected to be named in the back row for Sunday’s Pool D fixture against the Japanese, with indications last night that he will line up at No 8, with Ben Earl shifting to openside flanker.

Head coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his line-up this evening for the encounter with the Brave Blossoms. Curry is unavailable after being sent off and suspended for a high tackle three minutes into England’s first game of this campaign, but Vunipola is available again after serving a two-match ban for a similar offence, against Ireland in Dublin last month.

The giant Saracens No 8 is understood to be destined for a bench role on Sunday, while Sinckler is another familiar and experienced forward on course for a place in the 23. The Bristol prop endured a difficult summer as he was hampered by a nagging injury, amid concerns among the England management that his set-piece work required improvement.

Lewis Ludlam (above) is set to replace the suspended Tom Curry this weekend against Japan

Lewis Ludlam (above) is set to replace the suspended Tom Curry this weekend against Japan

Kyle Sinckler (above) is also pushing for a start after not featuring last weekend

Kyle Sinckler (above) is also pushing for a start after not featuring last weekend

Dan Cole started against Argentina and Will Stuart came on as the back-up tighthead, but Sinckler is now deemed ready to take on Japan. The 30-year-old started training among the likely starting XV on Wednesday in Le Touquet, suggesting that he may be in contention to wear the No 3 shirt which was his by right for so long in recent years.

Asked about Ludlam’s impressive cameo last weekend, defence coach Kevin Sinfield said: ‘We need our back row to run, make their tackles and cover ground for each other. That’s everything he stands for. His attitude around the group is brilliant. He’s a very humble guy but doing a wonderful job.’

On Vunipola’s return to the selection mix after an enforced absence, Sinfield added: ‘If he’s involved, he understands what international rugby’s about. He’s a top player. He’s a very good professional, he’s worked very hard in his time away from the game, and he’s been great in training. If selected at the weekend, I’m sure he’d do a great job.’ 

While England want to keep all 33 squad players feeling involved and engaged during this tournament, they will not rotate their resources for the sake of it. ‘We pick the team that we think gives us the best chance of winning,’ said Sinfield. ‘We’re in a World Cup – we’re not here to give people game-time or give Test shirts out, we’re here to win games.’

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