Michael Aylwin's match report
So, tries from Charlie Ewels and Will Collier, plus scores for Piers Francis and Danny Care – both set up by dazzling runs from Mike Brown – have earned a second straight win, and a series whitewash, in Argentina. George Ford, near-faultless through the two games, added the cherry on the icing with his late drop goal.
There were 132 points scored across a two-part feast of attacking, unpredictable rugby. England scored 73 of them, and won both Tests – finding a way to get it done, once again. They have won nine out of 10 away Tests under Eddie Jones, that defeat in Dublin still the only blot on his England record.
Thanks for joining me. It’s been fun. Bye!
Full time: Argentina 25-35 England
After some unnecessary faffing, a limping Hughes hoofs the ball into touch. England win the match, and the series!
79 mins: Hernandez kicks for touch, earning a lineout close to the try line. They collect the ball, but England turn it over! England scrum, but this one is done...
78 mins: Argentina steal the ball from an England line-out, and Lavanini hurls himself forward for the hundredth time. Lozowski, who has made a busy cameo here, gets a boot in to break up the attack.
76 mins: Argentina scrum, five metres out. The crowd have found their voices again. Bertranou feeds the scrum, and both packs are locked together, irresistible force vs immovable object. It’s England who prevail, and Care hooks the ball into touch.
75 mins: ...an attack down the left is repelled, but play is switched to the right via Moroni, fresh on the pitch. Fellow replacement Bertranou lunges for the line, but Wilson and Lozowski combine to make a desperate block!
74 mins: Bertranou and Moroni on in place of Landajo and Boffelli for Argentina, who aren’t finished yet...
Drop goal! Argentina 25-35 England (Ford)
After good work from Lozowski, Care heaves the ball back to Ford, who adjusts in a heartbeat and lifts the ball through the posts! That has silenced the crowd. George Ford must be man of the series – he has been superb.
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“When did the Pumas start with their change of style, to add a running and handling game to their traditional set piece focus?” asks David Wall.
“Was it motivated by their joining the (as then) Tri-Nations, and finding that they would get thumped if their backs could do no more than take contact to give it on to their forwards?”
I believe you’re on the right lines there, David – and the introduction of a Super Rugby side, the Jaguares, as a second de facto national team points that way. While they’re great to watch, it hasn’t borne consistent results yet – far from it.
70 mins: Juan Martin Hernandez sends a mediocre kick downfield, and England have a lineout close to halfway. They lose it, Tetaz Chaparro claiming it and barrelling forward, but Lezana is penalised for side entry. Ford eases the pressure with a clearance to touch.
67 mins: Eesh, this looks nasty for Nathan Hughes, impressive at No8 today. He’s cleaned out by Lavanini, who is penalised, and his knee gives way underneath him. He’s staying on, for now.
65 mins: Changes for England, with Alex Lozowski and Denny Solomona replacing Francis and Yarde.
TRY! Argentina 25-32 England (Collier)
There have been some lovely England tries across these two games, but this is ugly and Eddie Jones will like it. England collect the lineout and beat their hosts for power up front, replacement Will Collier the man to cross over. Ford makes it five kicks from six with the conversion.
63 mins: England respond with a burst of aggression, Nathan Hughes beginning the move before May powers down the left. The end result is a lineout, five metres from the line...
62 mins: Julian Montoya replaces Creevy at hooker, while Hernandez, whose drop goal last week ultimately played into England’s hands, replacing Sanchez.
61 mins: Changes for England, with Will Collier and Mark Wilson on for Williams and Underhill. I would put the Bath man behind Tom Curry in the flanker hierarchy after that, but what do I know?
TRY! Argentina 25-25 (Boffelli)
Emiliano Boffelli scored the first try of this series and 13 scores later, he has the latest. England’s backs are caught napping, De La Fuente picking up Landajo’s pass and skipping past Yarde, before offloading to Boffelli, who has plenty of room down the left flank. Sanchez gets a welcome conversion and we’re level again!
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TRY! Argentina 18-25 England (Care)
England have done it again! Argentina are on the front foot, but a simple offload between De La Fuente and Orlando goes awry and the visitors pounce, Mike Brown collecting the turnover ball and sprinting down the left. Danny Care is the man in support this time, and he pulls away into the corner. England could use this conversion... and Ford nails it!
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55 mins: First change for England, with Matt Mullan replacing Genge. For Argentina, Lezana replaces try scorer Matera.
54 mins: Argentina had looked close to being consumed by their own frustration, but not for the first time in this series, the momentum has swung.
“I’m loving these old skool scrums” says Robin Hazlehurst. “Never mind the ball, get on with the game! Two top packs giving it everything and nothing moving is a beautiful sight for the connoisseur.”
TRY! Argentina 18-18 England (Matera)
Piers Francis tries a speculative kick forward, but Pablo Matera charges it down, prods the ball down the touchline with his toe, and bursts in at the corner! Sanchez, somewhat predictably, misses an awkward conversion.
50 mins: Ford, kicking downwind but with the breeze dropping, sends his kick bobbling beyond the try-line. Sanchez restarts and England attack again, but Francis’ kick is charged down...
49 mins: Three replacements in Daniel Hourcade’s pack – Tetaz Chaparro, Herrera and Petti replace Noguera, Pieretto and Alemmano. No shortage of beef here in Argentina.
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48 mins: Pieretto is also given a warning, after putting his knee down in the scrum. Argentina try to burst forward, but De La Fuente spills an ambitious pass.
46 mins: Another high tackle leads to more anger from the stands, and Hartley is told any more of that will mean a yellow card.
45 mins: Sanchez has the chance to cut the deficit – but he slices his kick wide! Cue whistles from the crowd. He’s not having a great afternoon.
44 mins: Just as Argentina appear to be out of ideas, they find some attacking rhythm, De La Fuente breaking the line before Orlando carries forward 20 yards, and offloads beautifully to Leguizamon. Yarde does well to smother Sanchez’s diagonal kick, but Brown is penalised for a high tackle.
42 mins: May, Henry Slade and Ford show good hands to switch the play, before Genge and Robshaw do their bit to repel the Argentinian forwards. A knock-on from Slade stalls the move.
41 mins: Sanchez takes a mark from Ford’s kick and shuffles forward. An errant pass stalls what little momentum they have, and England turn it over...
We're off again!
John Lacey has an issue with his earpiece, but after a brief pause, Sanchez gets the second half started.
So, England lead 18-13 at the half; they were 17-13 down last week. As in San Juan, they have been second-best in territory and possession, and had to put in twice the tackles, but have pounced on opportunities to shade the only stat that matters.
“I’m loving how Eddie Butler pronounces some of the Argentinian players like Landajo, Tuculet and Boffelli with a real lilt” says Robin Hazelhurst. “It’s like a quiz question: Pumas player or North Wales seaside resort?”
I’m a big fan of their No8, Leggy Salmon.
Half time: Argentina 13-18 England
George Ford kicks the ball into – you’ll like this – the moat which surrounds the pitch. There’s still time for a line-out, but not much else. England lead, Piers Francis’ try after exceptional work from Mike Brown the difference.
39 mins: Argentina scrum, then a free kick. De La Fuente wriggles clear of Care in midfield, setting up a late burst for the line. Moyano looks to have found the gap, but Alemmano is correctly penalised for crossing. He’s 6’6”, Lacey was unlikely to miss him.
38 mins: They kick downfield, and Brown surges forward with another leggy run down the middle. Jonny May continues the advance, before Underhill turns the ball over under pressure from the Argentina pack.
37 mins: Argentina scrum, from which Orlando and Landajo swing the ball right. England hold firm, even the artful Creevy unable to gain ground...
36 mins: Noguera is getting treatment, so the front rowers engage in a bit of chatter with the referee. The camera hones in on a pigeon that’s landed on the pitch – this isn’t Wimbledon, you know.
35 mins: England keep the pressure on Sanchez, whose kick to touch presents them with a lineout. Harry Williams lumbers into space, offloading to Charlie Ewels – but Matera’s low tackle forces the ball out of his hands.
33 mins: Argentina look a little forlorn up against England’s forwards, with a grubber kick through always running away from De La Fuente.
TRY! Argentina 13-18 England (Francis)
Sanchez tries a change of tack with a diagonal kick. Suffice to say, it doesn’t work. Mike Brown steps up, snatches the ball and charges up the right flank. As he looks to be out of options, Piers Francis appears alongside him, collects the pass and breezes into the corner! The conversion from a tricky angle, is put wide by Ford.
Argentina 13-13 England (Ford penalty)
It’s not straightforward on a breezy afternoon, but Ford adjusts accordingly and his kick sails between the posts.
27 mins: Tuculet takes a kick down, but Yarde is straight on him to prevent Argentina gaining yards. The full-back gets caught on the floor, fails to release and concedes a penalty. Ford can level things up...
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25 mins: Danny Care’s kick is caught by Boffelli, who is tackled by Launchbury. Argentina clear, and Brown bursts towards the halfway line. The charge breaks down, and England are penalised, Creevy theatrically leaving Hartley on the floor. Sanchez’s penalty is not the best, dragged wide left of the posts.
23 mins: England have made 23 tackles – collectively, one per minute. This is already a fiercer forward test than last week. Care puts in as Argentina lower the scrum – but the hosts are penalised, Pieretto changing his body angle illegally.
21 mins: Argentina surge and turn the scrum, the ball popping loose and just out of Creevy’s reach. Genge dives on the ball, but England are being penned back...
20 mins: Sanchez finds touch, and Argentina have a line-out 15m from the try-line. Chris Robshaw, returning from injury, makes a crucial steal at the breakdown, and England get the scrum!
19 mins: Creevy makes headway before Tuculet breaks through with a couple of sidesteps. Lacey’s whistle sounds again, this time for a high tackle from Marland Yarde. Lacey has a word with Hartley about “unnecessary penalties”.
Argentina 13-10 England (Sanchez penalty)
17 mins: Another technical penalty against England – two in fact, an offside and a side entry. Sanchez opts for the former, in a more central position. The fly-half kicks Argentina into the lead.
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Argentina 10-10 England (Sanchez penalty)
13 mins: England earned a scrum but after much faffing, referee John Lacey grows weary of warning the visitors. Argentina are presented with a gettable penalty. Sanchez sends it high – and wide! Or does he? We’re going to the TMO, who rules that it just went over.
10 mins: Plenty of big, bruising hits out there, with Leguizamon going through Danny Care, before Nathan Hughes stops him in his tracks.
Argentina 7-10 England (Ford penalty)
8 mins: We go straight back down the other end, England forcing a turnover in opposition territory and winning a penalty, which Ford tucks away. He’s been a model of consistency on this tour.
TRY! Argentina 7-7 England (Tuculet)
We’ve picked up where we left off last week – Argentina’s backs in particular, who launch themselves headlong at the English defence. After Orlando is repelled, Hartley shoulders Pieretto. Penalty advantage, and Landajo sweeps the ball left, where Tuculet forces his way over. Sanchez slots away a tricky conversion from the left.
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6 mins: Ewels is penalised after trying to stop the maul. Sanchez goes for the corner and sets up a lineout on England’s 22.
TRY! Argentina 0-7 England (Ewels)
England kick for touch and win the lineout with ease. Launchbury barrels through his man and offloads to Charlie Ewels, who goes over! Ford converts, while Ewels looks a little pained after that heavy landing.
3 mins: Echoes of last Saturday, with an Argentina scrum reset twice before Leguizamon drives forward. Argentina opt to kick again, but England get the penalty in their own half as Moyano kicks the ball out from the side.
1 min: Nicolas Sanchez and George Ford trade long, looping kicks down the middle, before Mike Brown finds touch. Argentina are in their blue-and-white hoops, England in ‘dark sapphire’, or as it’s more commonly known, navy.
We're off!
George Ford’s kick-off is collected, and Tuculet’s clearing kick finds touch through a thick breeze.
The teams are out on a sunny, soupy afternoon in Santa Fe. Anthems are being belted out, and we’ll be under way imminently.
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Here’s Eddie Jones on today’s fixture: “It’s a different referee, different ground and conditions. The set piece is going to be important... I think Argentina might play some more old-school rugby today.”
On England players being overlooked in the latest Lions call-ups: “I’m disappointed for my players that haven’t been called up, but playing for England is a pretty decent second prize.”
In other news, this was released 20 years ago this week, and feels as relevant as it ever did. It was kept off No1 by Puff Daddy.
Twenty minutes until we have ourselves some 15-man, oval ball action.
On its iPlayer homepage, the Beeb describes its rugby coverage as “action from the world of the 15-player oval ball game”. The what?
— Russell Cunningham (@cunninghamshire) June 17, 2017
As discussed, it’s been an excellent day for northern hemisphere sides. Scotland beat Australia 24-19 in Sydney, while jet-setting Ireland followed up a win in New Jersey last week by beating Japan in Shizuoka. The Lions got a morale-boosting win over the Maori All Blacks, but perhaps most impressive of all, England women beat New Zealand in their own backyard to become the world’s No1 team. Last but not least (OK, also least), Wales beat Tonga 24-6.
But wait... who’s that letting the side down? It’s France, who have just lost 37-15 to South Africa in Durban. Quelle dommage.
The teams
England: M Brown (Harlequins), M Yarde (Harlequins), H Slade (Exeter), P Francis (Northampton), J May (Gloucester), G Ford (Bath), D Care (Harlequins); E Genge (Leicester), D Hartley (c, Northampton), H Williams (Exeter), C Ewels (Bath), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Underhill (Bath), N Hughes (Wasps).
Replacements: J Singleton (Worcester), M Mullan (Wasps), W Collier (Harlequins), N Isiekwe (Saracens), M Wilson (Newcastle), J Maunder (Exeter), A Lozowski, D Solomona (Sale).
Argentina: J Tuculet, R Moyano, M Orlando, J de la Fuente, E Boffelli, N Sánchez, M Landajo; L Noguera Paz, A Creevy (c), E Pieretto, M Alemanno, T Lavanini, P Matera, J Ortega Desio, JM Leguizamón.
Replacements: J Montoya, N Tetaz Chaparro, R Herrera, G Petti, T Lezana, G Bertanou, JM Hernández, M Moroni.
All of Argentina’s squad play for Jaguares, the country’s representatives in Super Rugby.
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Preamble
As the old saying goes: the more you practice, the luckier you get. England’s helter-skelter success in San Juan could have fallen either way, the lead changing hands six times as eight tries were scored. As has so often been the case under Eddie Jones, it fell England’s way.
Jones’ forward planning has reached forensic levels with this tour, with two new faces today taking his pool of capped players beyond 60. Sam Underhill and Piers Francis have both been monitored while playing in Wales and New Zealand, and get starts ahead of moves to the Premiership.
While it’s somehow never unconditionally OK to lose while managing a team called England, Jones and his players have enjoyed this jaunt, largely untroubled by the kind of pressure being heaped on colleagues away with the Lions.
The temperature will be turned up a few degrees today, on a balmy late afternoon in Santa Fe. Another narrow victory will do nicely to round off a fine tour for England, on an excellent day for northern hemisphere sides. Will England get lucky again? Find out in an hour’s time.
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