Gregan relieved at winning start

Australia skipper George Gregan was relieved that the holders managed to get off to a winning start in the World Cup.

The Wallabies were not entirely convincing as they beat Argentina 24-8 at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

But Gregan was happy enough to chalk up a victory in a game overshadowed by an injury to lock David Giffin, which led to him being stretchered off.

Gregan told ITV: “The ball was a bit slippery and there was a little bit of anxiety in our play but we’ll be happy to build from this.

“The first game was always going to be a hard game. Argentina are a good international side.”

“It was a scratchy performance in some aspects but it was a positive start - we won our first game.

“We had some opportunities we didn’t quite convert, but we’re happy with the effort and just happy to get into the tournament.”

Argentina captain Agustin Pichot said his team had chances to get back into the game.

He said: “It was a tough match. They didn’t run over us but we struggled a bit and lost our composure.”