'It's our DNA'
Abrasive England prop Kyle Sinckler insists his side’s forward pack will continue blasting a path through the World Cup.
Victory over Argentina in Tokyo on Saturday could guarantee passage into the knockout phase with the climax to Pool C against France still to play.
Evidence of England’s pack strength was visible on Thursday when the United States was overrun by the rolling maul and scrum and while stiffer tests await over the next two weekends, it was a powerful statement of intent.
As the first-choice tighthead, Sinckler is at the heart of the effort to dominate the forward battle.
“Scrum and maul – it’s our DNA,” Sinckler said.
“It’s rugby union and mauling is what we do. It gets our game going when our tank, our maul and our scrum get going.
“We get into a good flow and a good rhythm. It’s something, especially in the first 20 to 30 minutes, that we always try to get our teeth stuck into.”
“When we get close to the try line, we back ourselves and our maul because it’s tough to stop a maul five to 10 metes out when it is going forward.”
Argentina was edged out by France on the opening weekend but have kept themselves in contention for a quarter-final place by dispatching Tonga 28-12.
“We are under no illusion – it’s going to be a really tough game because they are playing for their lives,” Sinckler said.
“You have got to look after your set-piece, your scrum, your maul, your ruck – especially against these guys because they have a massive pack and can scrum for penalties, maul for penalties.
“And they have added that little bit to their game where they can off-load and play what they see. They’re also very fit.”
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