Ben Youngs is confident England can overcome turbulent build-up to Rugby World Cup ahead of Argentina opener
- England begin their Rugby World Cup campaign against Argentina on Saturday
- England have lost three of their four warm-up matches in a disastrous build-up
- But Ben Youngs thinks Steve Borthwick’s side can turn it on when it counts
- Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results
Ben Youngs is refusing to get swept up in the outside noise surrounding England’s Rugby World Cup hopes as he readies himself for his fourth attempt at winning the sport’s pinnacle prize.
England’s Rugby World campaign begins on Saturday night when they take on Argentina in Marseille in Pool A (8pm kick-off).
Steve Borthwick’s side have endured a horrid build-up to the tournament by losing three out of their four warm-up matches, losing several players to injury while captain Owen Farrell and sole No 8 Billy Vunipola are suspended for the start of this month’s showpiece in France.
Ben Youngs insists he and his England team-mates are ignoring the outside noise around them
England face Argentina in their Rugby World Cup opener off the back of a disrupted build-up
Steve Borthwick’s side lost three of their four warm-up matches – including a shock loss to Fiji
England’s Rugby World Cup group matches
Argentina – September 9 (Marseille)
Japan – September 17 (Nice)
Chile – September 23 (Lille)
Samoa – October 7 (Lille)
Expectations for England are low, but for veteran scrum-half Youngs he refuses to listen to those concerns having experienced differing fortunes while preparing for the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup squads he was a part of.
‘It’s different every time. If I look back to 2011, we won the Six Nations and lost the Grand Slam and we lost in the quarter-final to France,’ the 33-year-old told Mail Sport at the Wear the Rose event at the O2 Arena last month.
‘In 2015 we had a brilliant Six Nations and didn’t get out of our pool, so I don’t take too much from what’s gone on previously.
‘I don’t look at what we’ve done in this Six Nations or where we are right now, because everything we’re doing is aiming towards we at our best in round one.
‘I see huge amount of growth in our game, every performance and every day in training, I see us getting a step closer to where we need to be and I believe we’ll be there.’
England scrum-half Youngs spoke to Mail Sport at the Wear the Rose event at the O2 Arena
England Rugby’s most Unstoppable fan crowned at O2 event with full 33-player squad, winning unlimited England Rugby home match tickets until 2025!
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