England 45-7 United States: Eddie Jones says Owen Farrell is 'missing half his nose'
- Published
Eddie Jones (left) opted to start Owen Farrell on the bench before introducing him during the second half in Kobe
England coach Eddie Jones joked Owen Farrell was "missing half his nose" after a shoulder charge by John Quill saw the United States flanker sent off in England's 45-7 win.
Quill received the first red card of the tournament when he made contact with Farrell's head in the second half.
But the England talisman stayed on the pitch as his side completed a seven-try thrashing in Kobe.
"I'm sure his nose is out there," Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I don't think he [John Quill] deliberately tried to take Owen [Farrell] out but he ended up hitting his head."
It follows Australian winger Reece Hodge's three-game ban after being cited for a no-arms tackle on Fiji's Peceli Yato, and Samoa centre Rey Lee-lo, whose yellow card for a high tackle on Russia captain Vasily Artemyev has also been upgraded to a three-match ban.
Former England international Lewis Moody said Quill's challenge was a "classic American football-style tackle where you lead with the shoulder".
"After all the conversation around high tackles the referee was only going to go one way," Moody told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It was clear red card and it sets a precedent for the rest of the tournament."
While Quill was shown a straight red card, England centre Piers Francis avoided any on-field punishment, but could also be cited after a high challenge on Will Hooley.
"Piers [Francis] went in to make a tackle and there is not one player in our team who deliberately tackles high," said Jones.
"We will leave all of that to the judicial process and we are happy to take whatever they give us."
After a laboured win against Tonga on Sunday, England's World Cup campaign gathered pace in hot and humid conditions.
Captain George Ford broke free to score under the posts before Billy Vunipola and Luke Cowan-Dickie claimed tries from rolling mauls.
Joe Cokanasiga crossed twice in the second half and Ruaridh McConnochie and Lewis Ludlam both scored their first World Cup tries.
England could have had more, but handling errors denied them an even greater scoreline, something Jones put down to humidity.
"It was like a wet-weather game," he added. "But we found our rhythm and tempo really well in the second half.
"We will improve. They are quite unique conditions, it's 27C and it's 70% humidity. The ball is like a cake of soap because we know we have got good players who can catch and pass, so it must be something else."
'Argentina are a difficult team to beat'
Things will only get tougher from here as England prepare to face Argentina on 5 October before their final pool game against France.
But they may be buoyed by the return of prop Mako Vunipola and wing Jack Nowell, who will both undergo a "tough session" on Friday to test whether they are ready to play again.
"Can we play better?" Jones said. "Yes. We'll need to play better in our next game.
"We understand Argentina are going to be playing for their life. They're a passionate, proud rugby country.
"It's going to be important that we match their passion and play with control. They're a difficult team to beat."
'A calamity in Kobe'
United States head coach Gary Gold, who has worked at Premiership sides Bath and Worcester, struggled to find positives despite a late try from Bryce Campbell.
He also did not seem in any doubt that the decision to give Quill a red card was the right one.
"You're not allowed to make contact with the head and you certainly need to use the arms," he explained. "He didn't do either.
"We were taught a lesson today. We lost every single aspect of the game. That's what happens when you play world-class teams - they punish you very badly.
"It was a bit of a calamity in Kobe tonight. We're not better than England but we're a better team than that."
Analysis
Former World Cup winning England scrum-half Matt Dawson, on BBC Radio 5 Live
John Quill is absolutely shattered and he has just had a blip in the mind. It is cut and dry and no-one can argue that it wasn't a red card. He knew he was in trouble.
The highlight for me was England's discipline. I think there were only three penalties that were all in the first half. It is in stark contrast to where they were last week and the team needed to move on.
If they can get anywhere near four or five penalties against Argentina, they will blow them away. If they keep progressing like that, they are going to be a difficult team to beat.
Harlequins and England scrum-half Danny Care on BBC Radio 5 Live
I don't think anyone will begrudge the United States that try at the end. Referee Nic Berry did a great job of owning the game and making the big decisions - England will be quite happy with that.
Jonny May will definitely come back in [against Argentina], especially as England will kick more. Jonny has made that chase his own - he is genuinely rapid. If Jack Nowell is fit I'd throw him in. He's got something different to the other wingers out there.