England prop Duncan Bell is in bullish mood but doubts over English muscle remain after Australian performance. He talks to the Independent's Chris Hewett.
"Quite whether the Pumas will spend tonight fretting over the hard-nut element in the England eight is a moot point: they have, after all, armed themselves with the likes of Rodrigo Roncero and Martin Scelzo, not to mention the implacably competitive Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe. Indeed, it is generally assumed that if England manage to win, it will not be by beating up the tourists at scrum, ruck and maul.
"It is the sort of assumption that gets on the nerves of players like Duncan Bell, the tight-head prop recalled to the starting line-up for the first time since the spring of 2005. "It's true to say that the Pumas bring a high degree of physicality to their game – that when they pull on the shirt, they rise to the badge, as it were," said the 35-year-old Bath front-rower. "But so do we. We're passionate people as well, and we want to win as badly as anyone."
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