England hold off Argentina to keep semi-final hopes alive
England came through a tense second half in Santiago del Estero to beat Argentina 31-24 in Round 3 of the Nations Championship, a win that lifts them into third in the northern pool and keeps their route to the knockout stages firmly open.
For long spells this looked like a comfortable afternoon for the visitors, who led 19-3 at the break and had the game largely on their terms. Argentina, though, refused to let it slide, and a much-improved second-half performance turned a potential rout into a genuine contest. In the end England's early cushion, and their willingness to punish Argentina's ill-discipline, proved decisive.
Home
Away
M. Carreras (42'), Penalty Try (54'), J. Piccardo (79')
Tries
T. Freeman (3'), B. Earl (23', 32'), M. Smith (61'), I. Feyi-Waboso (68')
T. Albornoz (43', 79')
Conversions
F. Smith (24', 32', 62')
T. Albornoz (29')
Penalties
A fast England start
England could hardly have asked for a better opening. Tommy Freeman crossed inside the first three minutes, and once Ben Earl added two tries either side of the half-hour mark, both converted by Fin Smith, the game had a clear shape. Argentina were penned back, unable to build much through the phases, and their afternoon got harder still when Mateo Carreras was sent to the bin on 24 minutes.
Tomas Albornoz's penalty was the only reply Argentina could muster before the interval, and 19-3 down at home, the Pumas had plenty to sort out.
Argentina come back into it
The second half was a different match. Carreras made amends with a try shortly after the restart, converted by Albornoz, and when England lost Jack van Poortvliet to a yellow card on 50 minutes, the hosts pressed hard. A penalty try on 54 minutes, awarded as England's discipline creaked, brought Argentina back to 17-19 and set up a nervy finish.
This was the passage where the match could have got away from England. Cards for Alex Coles, Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun meant they spent chunks of the second half short-handed, and the penalty count told its own story. England conceded 14 penalties to Argentina's six, and four yellow cards is not a record any side wants to carry into tighter games.
But when they needed a score, England found one. Marcus Smith finished on 61 minutes, Fin Smith converted, and the visitors had daylight again at 26-17. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso then added the try that effectively settled it on 68 minutes. Argentina had the last word through Justo Piccardo in the final minute, converted by Albornoz, but by then it was consolation.
Standout performers
England's win was built on graft and on one outstanding attacking threat.
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was the most dangerous player on the pitch, making 99 metres from 11 carries, beating 12 defenders and making three clean breaks. Every time he got the ball in space, Argentina struggled to contain him.
- Ben Earl led from number eight with two first-half tries, 11 carries and 13 tackles.
- Alex Coles put in a huge defensive shift with 35 tackles, though his yellow card was part of the discipline problem.
- Joe Heyes and George Martin made 20 tackles apiece, a sign of just how much defending England had to do.
The tackle numbers point to the pattern clearly. England made 287 tackles to Argentina's 124, and had just 37% of possession. This was a win founded on defence and on taking their chances early, rather than on control.
Match Stats
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAK
DEFENDER BEATEN
TACKLE
MISSED TACKLE
TURNOVER WON
TURNOVERS CONCEDED
PENALTY CONCEDED
YELLOW CARD
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
Plenty for Argentina to build on
Argentina will be frustrated, because there was more than enough here to suggest they can trouble anyone at home. They dominated the ball and the carrying stats, running for 188 carries to England's 96 and beating 53 defenders to 33. Joaquin Oviedo was superb at number eight with 25 carries for 62 metres and 10 defenders beaten before his yellow card, while Albornoz and full-back Santiago Carreras both looked lively, each beating five or more defenders.
The problem was the first half. Argentina gave England a 16-point start and spent the rest of the afternoon chasing it. Too much of their good work came without reward, and the early Carreras card cost them momentum at exactly the wrong time. On this evidence they have the attacking pieces; they simply left themselves too much to do.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 4 | 12 | W W L |
| 2 |  Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 11 | W L W |
| 3 |  England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 2 | 10 | W W L |
| 4 |  Ireland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 10 | L W W |
| 5 |  Wales | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -42 | 1 | 05 | L L W |
| 6 |  Italy | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -94 | 0 | 00 | L L L |
What it means
England move up to third in the northern pool on 10 points, level with Ireland but behind France and Scotland. The bonus-point picture and a strong points difference keep them well in the mix. Argentina slip to fourth in the southern pool, their campaign now needing a lift.
England will not be entirely happy with how they closed the game out, and the discipline will need addressing. But they got the job done in a hostile venue, and that counts for plenty at this stage.