England beat Argentina 31-24 but yellow cards remain a glaring problem

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Returning world-beater has made real difference but Fin Smith laments continuing ill discipline after Argentina win

The most impressive analysis of England’s fluctuating July fortunes, as is so often the case nowadays, came from their fly-half Fin Smith. Where others choose to obfuscate, deflect or shoot the messenger, the admirably clear-eyed Smith prefers to tell it as it is. And at the end of a long, draining season, his view is that England are still frustratingly short of where they need to be.

Yes, they beat Argentina 31-24 on Saturday in a turbulent game containing eight tries and the tightest of finishes. It means they have claimed back-to-back Test wins for the first time since last November and, in Manny Feyi-Waboso, they have a genuine world-beater. Equally, though, there can be no ignoring the bright yellow elephant in the dressing room. Four more yellow cards has taken England’s tally to 14 in 10 games, a habit they still seem unable to break.

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