England hold on for nervy win over Argentina at Twickenham
MATCH REPORT: England claimed their 11th consecutive win, narrowly edging Argentina 27-23 in a thrilling contest at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Sunday.
The hosts dominated the first half, building a 17-3 lead thanks to slick handling and clinical finishing. England looked comfortable, controlling possession and territory with authority.
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But Argentina refused to go quietly. The Los Pumas mounted a fierce second-half fightback, chipping away at the deficit and cutting England’s lead to a single point with just 20 minutes remaining.
The closing stages were tense, with both sides pushing hard for the decisive score. England held their nerve under intense pressure, seeing out a memorable, hard-fought victory.
It was certainly one to remember for Max Ojomoh, who had a dream debut at home – scoring a try and creating his side’s other two.
The Bath centre Ojomoh appeared in his second Test after Fraser Dingwall pulled out with injury on Friday.
After both teams settled into the match with a triumphant scrum, the hosts took full control of the proceedings.
A drop goal by George Ford was followed by a try from Ojomoh. The centre collected a loose ball before diving over the line.
Los Pumas had a scrum inside England’s red zone and looked set to score, but were held up.
The visitors also won a penalty and opted to take the kick at goal, but Santiago Carreras missed the attempt in the 20th minute.
Although Argentina dominated possession following Ojomoh’s try, they had nothing to show for it.
And instead, it was England who scored next. A well-timed cross-field kick by Ojomoh found Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who dived over the line.
Ford added the easy conversion to extend England’s lead to 17-0.
Los Pumas began putting in some strong carries and making headway, but England’s rushed defence proved too strong.
The visitors finally got on the scoreboard with a Thomas Albornoz penalty kick.
England could have extended the lead on a few occasions. However, Ford missed a penalty, while hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie’s try was chalked off after officials ruled the grounding was short.
Despite the missed chances Steve Borthwick’s men took a 17-3 lead at the break.
Argentina needed a second-half resurgence, and they came out firing. The Los Pumas showed intent but were guilty of forcing passes and making unforced errors, at times sabotaging their own momentum.
After a solid scrum, they launched another attack. Justo Piccardo powered forward while Juan Martín González gained valuable meters before a crisp short pass found Piccardo, who dived over for Argentina’s first try. Thomas Albornoz added the conversion, bringing the score to 10-17.
Minutes later, England were penalised, and Albornoz slotted over a penalty to cut the deficit to just four points, 13-17.
England responded by injecting fresh legs, including Henry Pollock, to bring energy into the game. Yet they struggled to hold onto the ball and conceded another penalty, which Santiago Carreras converted, narrowing the gap to a single point.
With England leading 17-16, they pressed for a score. Ford attempted a drop goal, but it drifted wide.
England kept the pressure on, securing a crucial line-out and moving the ball swiftly through their backs. Ojomoh’s offload found Henry Slade, who crashed over the line. Ford added the extras, giving England a 24-16 advantage and turning the tide in their favour.
But Argentina wing Rodrigo Isgro scored a last-minute try, converted by Carreras, with time still left in the game for a re-start.
The Los Pumas pressed hard for the try that would clinch the game, but a botched line-out in the fourth minute of stoppage time allowed England to close out the game.
Player of the Match: There was just one man who stood out, and that was England centre Max Ojomoh. Not only did he score his team’s first try, but he also set up two more.
The scorers:
For England:
Tries: Ojomoh, Feyi-Waboso, Slade
Cons: Ford 3
Pen: Ford
Drop Goal: Ford
For Argentina:
Tries: Piccardo, Isgro,
Cons: Albornoz, Carreras
Pens: Albornoz 2, Carreras
Yellow card: Alex Coles (England, 80 – infringements)
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Marcus Smith
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Thomas Albornoz, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz, 8 Santiago Grondona, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Tomas Rapetti, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Joaquin Oviedo, 22 Agustin Moyano, 23 Santiago Carreras
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
*Additional source: AFP
