England vs. Argentina result, highlights and analysis as impressive Pumas triumph at Twickenham

Jonathan Burnett

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England vs. Argentina result, highlights and analysis as impressive Pumas triumph at Twickenham image

England suffered a first defeat to Argentina since 2006 as they were pipped 30-29 in a tight match at Twickenham.

Thirty-nine of the 59 points came from the boot, with the excellent Emiliano Boffelli scoring 25 of his own for the Pumas as he led Michael Cheika's side to victory in a match where the margin between the sides never exceeded eight points.

Boffelli and England skipper Owen Farrell traded points off the tee in the early stages as both sides took advantage of a series of penalties in wet conditions at Twickenham. They both struggled to create anything with ball in hand until hulking winger Joe Cokanasiga smashed his way to the Pumas' tryline, scoring the only five-pointer of the first half. 

The second half saw the game open up more, and Argentina took this opportunity with both hands. Boffelli slid in at the corner to open their account, and Santiago Carreras picked up a loose ball moments later to sprint away and score, putting the Pumas in command. England rallied, though, with Jack van Poortvliet coming off the bench and running straight under the sticks to close the gap.

The tension rose as the clock ticked down, with Boffelli and Farrell both holding their nerve to add three points whenever the opportunity arose. The lead changed hands eight times throughout the game, with the last 20 minutes seeing half of these, and Boffelli's 70th-minute effort made it 30-29 in Argentina's favour. The Pumas managed the remainder of the game superbly to confirm their first win in the English capital for 16 years.

Questions for Eddie Jones as England falter in second half

Argentina's two early second-half tries would have taken any side by surprise, but England were far too slow to react and never really recovered. They were distinctly blunt in attack and poor discipline in defence granted Boffelli most of his 25 points, and Eddie Jones' side need to sharpen up at both ends of the pitch if they're to have any chance of beating an improving Japan, a resurgent New Zealand, or a bullish South Africa.

Pumas performance checks out for Cheika

Cheika has also been coaching Lebanon in the Rugby League World Cup in England, meaning he's been unable to give Argentina his full attention until this weekend. He couldn't be happier with what he saw today, though, as his side matched England in every facet of the game and kept their discipline to retain their match-winning lead. They head to Wales and then Scotland to close out their European tour, and in 12 months time will face England again in Marseille in their opening pool match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

England vs. Argentina result

  1H 2H FT
England 16 13 29
Argentina 12 18 30

Tries: Cokanasiga, Van Poortvliet; Boffelli, S.Carreras

Conversions: Farrell (2); Boffelli

Penalties: Farrell (5); Boffelli (6)

England vs. Argentina full commentary, highlights

FT: That's all from us, we hope you enjoyed that enthralling game! They've already toppled the All Blacks in 2022, and Michael Cheika's Argentina side now add England to their list of scalps ahead of a trip to Wales next week. England will need to recover quickly with upcoming games against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, and have plenty to work on after losing to the Pumas for the first time since 2006.

Watch man-of-the-match Boffelli's try for Argentina:

FT: What a result for Argentina! Those two quick-fire tries from Boffelli and Santi Carreras proved crucial, while the former was razor-sharp off the tee to edge the Pumas in front time and time again! The penalties converted to points from himself and Farrell became a game of cat-and-mouse in the second half, putting each side into intermittent leads, but England couldn't hold onto one for long enough, despite Van Poortvliet's runaway try, and the Pumas held on for a famous win in London!

80 mins: The Pumas win it! Argentina close out the game with ball in hand, and punt it out as the final whistle sounds to seal a famous victory at Twickenham! 30-29 is the final score, as Michael Cheika's men beat England on their own patch for the first time in 16 years!

79 mins: England look to attack from deep with a minute left on the clock, but Slade drops the ball in contact and Argentina have it back!

77 mins: Argentina win another penalty after England collapse a maul, but kick for the corner once more, as they look to turn the screw with a late game-sealing try.

75 mins: A scrum goes down on replacement prop Mako Vunipola's side, gifting Argentina a penalty on halfway. Rather than kick for points though, the Pumas elect to kick for the corner, as the clock ticks down on an historic potential victory here.

72 mins: England debutant Coles powers through to make a break, and Argentina's defence is at sixes and sevens on their own line. They get a let-off though, as Coles obstructs a defender ahead of Nowell, and concedes the penalty!

70 mins: PENALTY - England 29-30 Argentina. Sinckler is penalised for laying on in the ruck, and Boffelli has a chance to kick three points. He does so, meaning that Argentina re-take their one-point lead as we enter the last 10 minutes!

67 mins: PENALTY - England 29-27 Argentina. Itoje makes a half-break and the hosts spread it to the right. Argentina are pinged for offside during the passage of play, and Farrell steps up to add three more points, meaning the lead changes hands yet again!

63 mins: PENALTY - England 26-27 Argentina. A awful-looking late tackle from Cowan-Dickie on replacement prop Eduardo Bello wins the Pumas another penalty, and Boffelli notches the long-distance kick to edge Argentina in front once more.

60 mins: PENALTY - England 26-24 Argentina. England bulldoze their way forward with a fantastic scrum, and win a series of penalties from the next few plays. Farrell eventually chooses to take the points, and sends three over to put England back into the lead.

56 mins: TRY - England 23-24 Argentina! Jack van Poortvliet, just on for Youngs, darts from dummy-half to scythe straight through the Pumas defence, and grounds the ball despite Mallia's last-ditch tackle! What an introductory action for the replacement scrum-half, and Farrell adds the extras to bring England back to within one.

52 mins: TRY - England 16-24 Argentina! Farrell's pass around the back goes to ground under pressure from Gallo, and Santiago Carreras picks up the loose ball to race 60 metres to the line and score! The TMO checks for a knock-on from Gallo, but there's no contact between the Pumas loosehead and the ball, meaning the five-pointer will stand! Boffelli adds the two, and out of nowhere, Argentina are flying at Twickenham!

50 mins: Cokanasiga comes in-field and bursts through the defensive line once more. He offloads to Smith with a clear run to the line, but the fly-half is dragged down 10 metres short of it!

48 mins: TRY - England 16-17 Argentina! The Pumas fly out of the blocks as they whip it left from the line-out. Santiago Carreras wraps around to release Boffelli, and the winger evades the cover defence to slide in at the corner! Boffelli can't convert his own try, but Argentina still have a one-point lead!

46 mins: Another succession of scrums hit the floor, and a small scuffle breaks out after the latest one. Genge is eventually calmed down, and the Pumas kick for touch from the penalty.

41 mins: The teams are back on the pitch for the second half, and Farrell kicks off to resume proceedings at Twickenham!

HT: The weather did clear up somewhat over the course of the first half, and hopefully it'll continue, allowing the teams to throw the ball around a bit more. The opening 40 saw very little running rugby - Cokanasiga aside - and although Boffelli can't seem to miss from the tee, the Pumas will need to find their creative edge with the ball if they're to stay in this game.

Watch Cokanasiga barge his way over for the game's opening try:

HT: The first half ends, and it's been one hell of a slog in those first 40 minutes! The weather has heavily affected the play, with the ball seeing plenty of air-time thanks to near-constant kicking. We've also seen plenty of scrums go to ground, but with ball in hand, England's Cokanasiga has been a destructive runner in open field, and crashed his way over to score the only try. Points from the boots of Farrell and Boffelli have kept the scoreboard ticking over, with England leading by four at the break.

40+2 mins: PENALTY - England 16-12 Argentina. With the clock passing 40 minutes, Argentina make a mess of a late scrum, and the England forwards pile in to win a ruck penalty that Farrell dispatches from right in front!

39 mins: PENALTY - England 13-12 Argentina. Cowan-Dickie enters a ruck from an offside position and is caught by the referee. Boffelli adds the customary three points for the Pumas, and it's a one-point ball game heading towards half-time.

36 mins: PENALTY - England 13-9 Argentina. Coles makes a good half-break and England recycle the ball quickly, catching Argentina offside from the following ruck, and adding three more points from the boot of Farrell.

33 mins: PENALTY - England 10-9 Argentina. Cokanasiga looks to make metres with another carry from deep, but Montoya gets over the ball well, winning the Pumas a turnover penalty. Boffelli slots it over, and closes the gap on the scoreboard to one point.

30 mins: Tuilagi absolutely smashes an unsuspecting Gonzalez and forces the ball loose, winning the hosts another scrum on halfway, with a good chance of advancing into a good-ball position.

25 mins: TRY - England 10-6 Argentina! From the re-set scrum on Argentina's five-metre line, Cokanasiga hits a powerful line off Youngs, and twists out of the tackle to ground it for England! The first points with ball in hand, and Farrell adds the extras to put England four in front!

23 mins: Another powerful carry from Cokanasiga gives England good ball to use, and Youngs chips over the top for Smith to chase. Mateo Carreras races back to gather, but he's tackled over his own try-line by Smith and England will get the ball back.

19 mins: England have the ball in the Argentine 22 as Cokanasiga rampages down the left. He's brought down, and the hosts switch the ball to the right, but Steward's offload for Tuilagi goes to ground and we'll pack down for another scrum.

16 mins: PENALTY - England 3-6 Argentina. England are once again pinged for offside from a scrum, with Smith the offender. Boffelli steps up once more, putting three more points over for the Pumas. 

13 mins: PENALTY - England 3-3 Argentina. The Pumas are rather harshly penalised for a ruck infringement and Farrell elects to kick for points, easily notching three over to level the scores.

10 mins: PENALTY - England 0-3 Argentina. England are penalised for being offside at the ruck, and after their advantage comes to nothing, they point to the posts. Winger Boffelli steps up to take the penalty, and slots it between the sticks for the game's first points.

9 mins: Argentina turn the ball over and kick it down-field. Smith retreats in cover, but slips over, allowing Mateo Carreras to slide in, re-gain possession and suddenly Argentina have the ball just metres out from the England line!

5 mins: Kicks aplenty in the opening five minutes, with both sides sending the ball into the air on several occasions and booting it straight back! Moroni blocks off Steward from getting to Smith's latest punt, and Farrell elects to kick the penalty towards the corner rather than the posts.

Kick-Off: Santiago Carreras boots the ball high into the Twickenham sky to get us underway, and England debutant Alex Coles catches and surges into the chasing Pumas defence!

5 mins from kick-off: The anthems are underway as the respective sides sing at the tops of their voices, and we're just moments away from this game getting underway!

10 mins from kick-off: We're ready and waiting for the teams to come out, and here they come, trudging out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, amidst a downpouring of rain in South-West London!

15 mins from kick-off: A packed Twickenham awaits the running out of the teams, and they'll be expecting a good performance from England, who despite winning their summer series in Australia, were rather flat throughout the Six Nations. With the World Cup less than 12 months away, the England faithful will be hoping to see a performance worthy of true contenders ahead of France 2023.

30 mins from kick-off: However, England are currently on a 10-match winning streak over the Pumas, and Eddie Jones will be confident his side can make it 11. He's picked an exciting midfield combination of Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi, as well as a 6-2 split of forward and backs on the bench.

45 mins from kick-off: Argentina have beaten England at Twickenham before, during the 2006 autumn internationals. Coincidentally, that victory came a year before a Rugby World Cup campaign in France, and the Pumas will be out to repeat history in South-West London this afternoon.

60 mins from kick-off: Argentina will certainly provide adversity for England, and then some. Michael Cheika's Pumas may have finished bottom of the Rugby Championship table, but one of their two wins came in New Zealand, beating the All Blacks on their own patch for the first time ever. 

75 mins from kick-off: England had to dig deep in Australia after losing the first test in Perth, but showed their steely character in Brisbane and Sydney the following weeks, 25-17 and 21-17 respectively to turn the series around and prove they have what it takes to overcome adversity.

90 mins from kick-off: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of England vs. Argentina. With Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to come in successive weeks this month at Twickenham, Eddie Jones will be hoping his side get off to a winning start tonight.

The countdown to Rugby World Cup 2023 continues, and with the tournament edging ever closer, Eddie Jones will know the importance of this autumn series is absolutely paramount if England want to go one better than they did in 2019. They have to perform in every single game, not least in this one against Argentina, who like many of Eddie Jones' sides down the years, always tend to approach their peak as the World Cup nears on the horizon.

2022 has been a mixed bag for England, who finished third in the Six Nations after being beaten by Scotland, Ireland and France. They also lost their first match of their summer series in Australia, but rallied to win the second and third tests. However, England also went through a similar patch in 2018, a year out from the 2019 World Cup, and Jones won't mind a temporary lull in form if it means England are better prepared to hit their straps in France next autumn.

Argentina finished bottom of the table in this year's Rugby Championship, winning just two games. Those wins however, were significant to say the least, smashing Australia 48-17 in San Juan before travelling to New Zealand and toppling the All Blacks by a score of 25-18, for their first ever victory on Kiwi soil. Losses to both the All Blacks and Wallabies followed, as well as two against South Africa, but that win in Christchurch showed more than ever that Michael Cheika's Pumas mean business at Twickenham.

MORE: Holloway has confidence in doing things 'the Wallaby way'

England vs. Argentina lineups

Jones names a strong side to kick-off England's autumn campaign, with some intriguing combinations - particularly in midfield. Centre Manu Tuilagi starts outside a 10-12 axis of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell respectively to make his first England appearance of 2022. Should the trio work well together, England may have found the core of their starting backline for France 2023, a year ahead of schedule.  

With captain Courtney Lawes still missing due to a concussion problem, Farrell captains the side, and Maro Itoje moves to the blindside flank of the scrum. This frees up space in the second row for Alex Coles to come in, as the Northampton lock makes his England debut. His Saints teammate David Ribbans, also a second row, could make his international bow from the bench.

England XV: Freddie Steward, Jack Nowell, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell, Joe Cokanasiga, Marcus Smith, Ben Youngs; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Alex Coles, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola.

England Replacements: Jack Singleton, Mako Vunipola, Joe Heyes, David Ribbans, Sam Simmonds, Jack Willis, Jack Van Poortvliet, Henry Slade.

Juan Martin Gonzalez's second-half try turned the tide on the All Blacks in Christchurch, paving the way for Argentina's historic victory. He starts on the blindside flank of a typically huge Pumas pack, with former Leicester Tiger Pablo Matera at the back of the scrum. There's no relation between Carrerases Mateo and Santiago, who start on the wing and at fly-half respectively. Santiago's halves partner is 87-cap veteran Tomas Cubelli, and the two will look to lead this exciting Argentine side around the Twickenham pitch.

Argentina XV: Juan Cruz Mallia, Mateo Carreras, Matias Moroni, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Emiliano Boffelli, Santiago Carreras, Tomas Cubelli; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lavanini, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera.

Argentina Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Eduardo Bello, Lucas Paulos, Facundo Isa, Eliseo Morales, Tomas Albornoz, Matias Orlando.

How to watch England vs. Argentina

  UK Australia New Zealand US
TV channel — — Sky Sport —
Stream Amazon Prime Video Stan Sport Sky Sport website/app FloSports

UK: The Test match is available to stream via subscription service Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Australia: All matches in the Autumn Nations Series, as well as this Test, will be streamed via Stan Sport in Australia.

New Zealand: Sky Sport is the place to catch the end-of-year international matches.

US: Subscription service FloSports has exclusive rights to the Autumn Nations Series with matches available to stream online.

England vs. Argentina betting odds

Most bookmakers predict an England win, and looking at the odds below, it's backed to be quite a comfortable one. Both Sky Bet and BetMGM have England as overwhelming 1/10 favourites, with Argentina way back at 11/2.

Ladbrokes' odds are similar, with England barely above a dollar in their odds, while the Pumas are out at 6.00, suggesting that if Argentina aren't in the career-ascending form that saw them beat the All Blacks in Christchurch, they'll more than likely be on the receiving end at Twickenham.

  UK (Sky Bet) Australia (Ladbrokes) US (BetMGM)
England win 1/10 1.13 1/10
Argentina win 11/2 6.00 11/2

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.