England’s rugby players avenged defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals with a chaotic, ill-tempered 31-24 Nations Championship victory that went to the wire in Santiago del Estero.
Steve Borthwick’s side recorded a sixth straight win on Argentinian soil to offer a crumb of consolation three days on from heartache at the hands of Lionel Messi and co in Atlanta.
England received a hostile reception at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, where Argentina’s players wore replica shirts inspired by Diego Maradona’s iconic 1986 World Cup kit and fans unveiled Falklands-themed banners in the stands.
England looked to do their talking on the pitch, with Tommy Freeman’s early try and a Ben Earl double silencing the partisan home crowd and securing a 16-point half-time lead.
Argentina, who had been reduced to skirmishes in a one-sided first half, roared back after the break, slashing the deficit to two through Mateo Carreras’ score and a penalty try that saw England reduced to 13 men after Alex Coles joined Jack van Poortvliet in the sin-bin.
Late tries from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Marcus Smith looked to have shielded England from costly ill-discipline, only for further yellow cards to Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun to leave them needing to see out the game with 13 men.
Justo Piccardo’s 80th-minute score moved Argentina to within a converted try of salvaging an unlikely draw, which Bautista Delguy looked to have secured when he crossed with the clock four minutes into the red.
But a dramatic TMO intervention, which ruled Delguy in touch, came to England’s rescue in the final act of a Test match that was as absorbing as it was bonkers.
More to follow.