England 39-10 Argentina: Eddie Jones' men march into World Cup quarter-finals
By Tony Tighe
Last Updated: 05/10/19 4:38pm
England became the first team to qualify for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after a dominant 39-10 win over 14-man Argentina.
The Pumas had lock Tomas Lavinini red-carded after 18 minutes for a dangerous tackle on Owen Farrell and England exploited their numerical advantage.
Jonny May, Elliot Daly and Ben Youngs all crossed for first-half tries, with George Ford grabbing their fourth on 45 minutes before late tries from replacements Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie saw them clinch a third successive bonus-point victory in style.
England will secure top spot in Pool C and a likely quarter-final against Australia with victory over France on October 12.
May's 25th Test try put England ahead after Benjamin Urdapilleta had kicked a seventh-minute penalty, a driving maul providing the platform for Ford to send his Leicester team-mate over.
However, those hoping for a competitive contest in Tokyo were left disappointed due to Lavanini's dismissal.
Argentina captain Pablo Matera received a warning from referee Nigel Owens for a late shot on Youngs, but Lavanini was not so lucky after a shoulder-to-head tackle on England skipper Farrell.
He received the fifth red card of the World Cup, which is a tournament record.
England didn't immediately capitalise on the scoreboard but gradually wore their opponents down by keeping the ball in play, which led to two tries late in the half.
The forwards laid the platform for both, Daly juggling the ball before evading two defenders, with Youngs sniping over from a ruck after 22 energy-sapping phases.
Farrell missed four kicks at goal during the first half, meaning England only led 15-3 at the interval, but it was extended to 19 points on 45 minutes when Ford touched down for the bonus-point try after a strong carry from Manu Tuilagi.
Victory secured and further good news for England saw Mako Vunipola and Nowell make their returns from injury, with the latter diving over in the corner after Matias Moroni had scored a consolation for Argentina.
England's sixth try also came from a replacement, Luke Cowan-Dickie scoring from a driving maul to put the gloss on a one-sided win.