Zen masters believe in the concept of existing in the present moment rather than worrying unduly about the future. England seem to be adopting a similar strategy in Japan, focusing purely on the here and now. Three successive bonus-point victories and qualification for the knockout stages with a game to spare have kept their supporters’ stress levels remarkably low.

Maybe it would have been different had Argentina not been required to play three-quarters of the match with 14 men, having had their second-row enforcer Tomás Lavinini sent off after 18 minutes for a high tackle on Owen Farrell. Or maybe not. The manner in which England finished, scoring two tries in the final six minutes to add a coat of gloss to the final scoreline, suggested they would have had too much for the Pumas even if Lavanini had hung around slightly longer.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nigel Owens sends off Tomás Lavanini (centre) with Argentina trailing only 5-3. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

To a large extent it leaves England where they wanted to be, with just a couple of slight nagging concerns before Saturday’s final pool fixture against France in Yokohama.

One is the twisted ankle sustained by Billy Vunipola that curtailed his involvement at half-time. Privately, though, Jones may be more concerned by a less visible issue. For assorted reasons – opposition, luck of the draw, circumstances – England have now been in Japan a month and still did not really know whether their title chances are any better or worse than when they flew in.

For the third game in a row they should probably have won by a wider margin, could have played with more consistent rhythm and generally found their snappiest form elusive. On another day Farrell’s first-half goal-kicking inaccuracy – he missed four from four attempts before retuning his radar in the second half – might have been more costly and England’s centre pairing would collectively have asked rather more attacking questions.

But, then again, they did not have to. The Pumas have not had an auspicious tournament and their shortage of fly-half generalship has been glaring. How they could have done with a Spanish-speaking George Ford to pull a few strings or even replacements of the calibre of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade to ask different questions. It may or may not have been coincidental that England perked up after the Exeter trio came on, with Cowan-Dickie and Nowell collecting late scores as a further bonus.

England’s management will also have been pleased with the prodigious defensive appetite of Sam Underhill while Elliot Daly had one of his best games in England’s No 15 jersey. It was a far cry from the last time these sides met when Daly was the man to receive an early red card. On that occasion his side still won but with Lavanini such a central pillar of the Pumas’ pack there was never any danger of a repeat here.

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The Argentina coach, Mario Ledesma, made no attempt to defend his man, despite the fact Farrell was stooping slightly at the moment of impact. Had the fly-half been standing upright it might have been a legal hit but players are now expected to allow some margin for error and, even at 6ft 7in tall, Lavinini should have been aiming lower in the first instance.

It was not just the raucous Argentina fans who felt instantly deflated on a warm, sultry evening. The previously bubbling atmosphere around the ground completely disappeared, as so often happens when an underdog side receives such an early setback.

Before England finally began to exploit their numerical advantage, Argentina did at least show some defiance. Pablo Matera clattered late into Ben Youngs, prompting a bit of old-fashioned argy-bargy, and Vunipola’s injury also seemed to distract his teammates. It was just as well that Jonny May had already nudged England ahead, the winger’s early score nicely served up for him by a scampering George Ford.

Daly, after an initial juggle, also showed good pace to get around his opposite number Emiliano Boffelli and Ben Youngs added a close-range third just before half-time to mark his 92nd cap, a tally that puts him third on England’s Test appearance list alongside his Leicester colleague Dan Cole.

England’s interval lead of 15-3 would have looked rather more comfortable had Farrell brought his kicking boots but even with three specialist flankers in the back row following Vunipola’s departure the result was never remotely in doubt. Ford, alert as ever, dived over for the bonus point score five minutes after the restart and Farrell, finally back in the groove, added the conversion and a subsequent penalty.

England 39-10 Argentina: Rugby World Cup player ratings Read more

A 70th-minute try for the winger Matías Moroni, assisted by a missed tackle in the build-up by the returning Mako Vunipola, could not obscure a forgettable night for a frustrated Argentina, who last failed to qualify for the knockout stages of a Rugby World Cup in 2003. Their only other faint consolation was an 88th cap off the bench for their captain Agustín Creevy, making him the most-capped player in his country’s history.

England, in contrast, are already safely into the quarters, having failed to do so on home soil in 2015. There will be a bit of conjecture about whether they would be better finishing second in Pool C rather than top but the solution to that puzzle is, ultimately, straightforward. Keep winning and, as the zen masters say, the future will look after itself.