- England prop Cole ready for Argentina's physical threat
- Up until the engagement, every scrum is the same – Cole
England prop Dan Cole says that despite Argentina’s notoriety as a forward-focused side, Los Pumas are not as one dimensional as made out.
The Leicester Tigers front-rower will make his 19th appearance for England against the South Americans, and comes face-to-face with the vastly experienced Argentine prop Rodrigo Roncero in the scrum.
Speaking about his forthcoming tussle with the 44-time-capped Stade Francais loosehead, Cole said that preparation is key: “I’ve studied videos and spoken to people who have played against him, Graham Rowntree has a great knowledge of the game so I’ve had a chat with him too.
“It’s important to prepare for them, but we have to prepare ourselvesl. Up until the engagement, every scrum is the same, so we have to make sure that we do our job right as well.”
On Argentina – who placed third at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Cole added: “It’s a bit of a cliché but we’re expecting a big physical contest – they pride themselves on their set piece and the contact, but they also have some flair.
“They aren’t a one dimensional team. We’ve been doing a few live scrums in preparation, but it’s mainly with the machine as we’re trying to look after each other for what could, hopefully, be a long tournament."
