It has been a long season but England’s well-travelled players can finally head to the beach with some degree of satisfaction. Spurred on by a fine performance from the wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, they had to weather a frantic finale to complete an eventful five-try win over Argentina, thus denying their hosts a notable sporting double over their English amigos this week.
Reduced to 13 and briefly 12 men at stages in the second half, with four players sent to the sin-bin along the way, they were ultimately indebted to Marcus Smith and Feyi-Waboso for all-important tries in the final quarter, along with a brace of first-half scores for Ben Earl. England also had to defend stoutly at times, with Ollie Chessum, Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes all showing up remarkably well at the fag end of an energy-sapping campaign.
Defeat in the final leg of their July odyssey across three continents would have further cranked up the pressure on Steve Borthwick and his bosses at the Rugby Football Union but for a long time there was scant prospect of it happening. The Pumas made a disappointingly flat start and only roused from their slumbers after going in 19-3 down at half-time.
England, however, will be upset to have received another fistful of yellow cards, taking their tally to 14 in their last 10 Tests. On this occasion Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Coles, Henry Pollock and the debutant Manny Iyogun were all banished but the Pumas, who had three players sent to the bin themselves, could not quite make their numerical advantage pay in the closing minutes.
England’s logistically crazy 26,000-mile trek this month has certainly been an education on multiple fronts. A chastening defeat in Johannesburg followed by a 70-point romp in Liverpool against Fiji had left their supporters slightly unsure what to expect in north-west Argentina, about 1,000km from the capital, Buenos Aires.
It was certainly a far cry from the backdrops to which England are usually accustomed. Orange-laden trees line the streets of this homely but modest city, one of the country’s earliest settlements. Known as the “Mother of Cities”, it had previously proved a step too far for South Africa and Scotland, both beaten here in recent years.
England, by contrast, had two tries on the board inside the first 23 minutes, both the product of good approach work. The first was created by another inch-perfect cross-kick from Fin Smith to Tommy Freeman after just three minutes, prompting a mini flare-up in the in-goal area which Chessum was penalised for instigating.
The second was even better with Feyi-Waboso surging irresistibly on to a ball in midfield and leaving three defenders in his wake before popping an offload out of the tackle to the supporting Earl who had sufficient momentum to score. And when Matteo Carreras was shown yellow for a high challenge on Freeman, England’s position strengthened even further.
The balance of power tilted even more in their direction when a dominant attacking scrum totally splintered their Puma counterparts and presented Earl at No 8 with the simplest of finishes. The Saracens forward is competitive-minded and calls from all and sundry for Pollock to start have not gone unnoticed.
England were not perfect in all respects but were exhibiting plenty of the ingredients they aspire to be consistently noted for. When Genge and Heyes are prominent with and without the ball it is always a good indicator and had Fin Smith not dropped the ball with the line begging the scoreboard would have looked even rosier.
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The appearance of dozens of local dancers on the pitch at half-time, though, seemed to help to lift the vibe around the stadium. The Pumas looked suitably reinvigorated and were over the English line within four minutes of the restart after strong mauling work and a burrowing finish from the now-returned Carreras.
Things further unravelled for England when they temporarily lost both their half-backs within minutes of each other. First Fin Smith was forced off for a head injury assessment and then Van Poortvliet went to the bin for a one-handed flap at an overhead pass with Argentina threatening again. With the visitors down to 14 the Pumas scented blood and came again; this time it was Coles who desperately tried to intercept a pop pass off the floor by Carreras to concede both a yellow card and a penalty try.
Now it really was panic stations, particularly given England had two bench props with a grand total of one cap between them. England had lost the prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour to concussion before the game even started and now needed all those still standing to contribute more than ever.
It was a considerable relief, then, when the returned Van Poortvliet threw a long ball over the top and Marcus Smith finished in the corner at the start of the final quarter. Fin Smith swung over the conversion and England, at 26-17, went past 30 thanks to a fabulous try by Feyi-Waboso, cutting a gorgeous angle. Even then, amid all the card drama, it still needed a brilliant last-gasp corner-flagging tackle from Henry Slade on a diving Bautista Delguy to save England’s day.
The outcome nudges England up to third in the tournament standings but, perhaps more significant, gives all concerned a little breathing space. Away wins at international level always feel sweet and this one, despite that second-half wobble and a nasty-looking late injury to Benhard van Rensburg, will be no exception.
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