England – Argentina: The hosts’ new attack faces Pumas

Luggage is inevitable.

So Clarín, Argentina’s largest newspaper, went straight to the topic.

In the first two lines of their pitch for Sunday’s match, reference was made to “history, politics, the Falklands War and England’s continuing imperialist views”., external

The story of teenager Federico Mendes leveling England’s Paul Ackford second row with a blind haymaker 35 years ago has been retold.

And on Thursday, Franco Molina delivered another piece of Anglo-Argentine backstory.

The second-row players in Argentina said, “It was a goal, the referee awarded it, it was a goal!”, recalling the controversial “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match in 1986 in the FIFA World Cup.

But it was all with a smile.

If all this history is brewed in the form of pep talks, Molina, who spent last season playing for Exeter, has hidden it well.

For him, there was plenty to be excited about over the next 80 minutes, without delving into the past.

“It’s a big game, just because of the context of the international game,” he said.

“Playing at Twickenham is really special.

“It’s going to be a really physical game and every English team is tidy in what they do, all the kicking from the field, all the play with the ball in hand.

“We will need to be consistent and accurate throughout the 80 minutes to beat them.”