Lawrence hails England followers after key function in opening World Cup win
E
ngland have been blown away by the fervent help they obtained at Stade Velodrome in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup win over Argentina.
Steve Borthwick’s males prevailed 27-10 in Marseille, however what began as a hostile environment amongst scores of Pumas followers become a sea of white shirts.
England’s gamers and coaches have been conscious about the frustrations of supporters after three defeats in 4 warm-up matches in August.
Head coach Borthwick’s facet slipped to a brand new low with their first-ever defeat by Fiji, the 30-22 loss at Twickenham on Saturday, August 26.
The Red Rose males roared again to dismiss Argentina nonetheless, and convey the help proper again on facet.
England have been grateful for continued backing even throughout that lean August, however have been then shocked by the ferocity and quantity of help in Marseille.
“The crowd was huge out there for us, it was my first ever Rugby World Cup game and to experience that was massive for us all,” stated centre Ollie Lawrence.
“To experience that crowd and to see all the England faces and fans that we had there, it was a massive support for us.
“They definitely got behind us and helped push us over the line.”
England will face Japan in Nice on Sunday aiming to take early management of Pool D with a second victory in as many weeks.
Bath centre Lawrence insisted England won’t take Japan frivolously, particularly given their historical past of World Cup upsets.
The 2023 Japan classic will not be as sturdy because the Brave Blossoms that beat South Africa in 2015 or Ireland and Scotland in 2019, however England are refusing to view Jamie Joseph’s facet any otherwise.
“They like to move the ball about, we’ve identified that about how they play,” stated Lawrence.
“We know what their threats are and we’ll come with a plan to shut that down.
“There’s the history there in terms of how they’ve performed at World Cups.
“They’re a very passionate team and a team that turns up on days against teams when potentially they shouldn’t have a standing in the game.”