England secures victory in Santiago del Estero

By Bilal Ahmed

By Bilal Ahmed — 19 July 2026 — 3 min read

England secures victory in Santiago del Estero

England defeated Argentina 31-24 in Santiago del Estero in a match marked by numerous penalties and yellow cards. The game, part of the Nations Championship, saw England‘s Ben Earl score two tries, contributing significantly to his team’s win. This victory concludes England‘s summer series on a positive note, placing them third in the table ahead of November’s Nations Championship fixtures.

The match was characterized by a high number of disciplinary actions, with seven yellow cards issued during the 80 minutes of play. England received four of these yellow cards. Despite the disciplinary challenges, England secured their second consecutive bonus point win in the competition.

Key moments and player performances

Ben Earl‘s two tries were pivotal, both occurring within an eight-minute span in the first half. England established a 12-0 lead after 25 minutes with Tommy Freeman scoring and Earl claiming his first try. The lead extended to 19-3 by halftime, with Earl adding his second try from the base of a scrum after Argentina‘s flyhalf Tomas Albornoz slotted a penalty.

Argentina faced further setbacks when winger Mateo Carreras received a yellow card for a shoulder hit, reducing them to 14 men. After the interval, Carreras scored a try for Argentina. However, England‘s Jack van Poortvliet was sent to the sin bin, followed by Alex Coles, who received a yellow card after Argentina was awarded a penalty try.

Despite being temporarily reduced to 13 men, England regained control. Marcus Smith scored a try, and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso also crossed the line, extending England‘s lead. Argentina‘s Joaquin Oviedo and Santiago Carreras were also shown yellow cards during the game.

Disciplinary issues and a dramatic finish

The match’s intensity was evident in the seven yellow cards awarded by referee Angus Gardner. England‘s Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun were the last to be yellow-carded, leaving England with 13 players on the field at the end. Argentina‘s attempted comeback included a try from Justo Piccardo just before the end of normal time.

A dramatic moment occurred in the 83rd minute when Argentina winger Bautista Delguy‘s try was disallowed after a discussion between the referee and the television match official, denying Tomas Albornoz a conversion attempt that could have led to a draw. This decision sealed England‘s 31-24 victory.

The build-up to the fixture had been tense, with incidents including Argentina‘s footballers beating England in a World Cup semifinal earlier in the week. England captain Jamie George had also addressed concerns about potential racist abuse, stating his side would walk off the pitch if such incidents occurred, following discriminatory remarks heard last year in San Juan.

Argentina‘s head coach Felipe Contepomi made two changes to his squad from the previous weekend’s win over Wales, bringing in Matias Moroni at outside centre and Mayco Vivas at tighthead prop. England‘s Henry Pollock, despite scoring a hat-trick against Fiji the previous week, was named on the bench by coach Steve Borthwick. The Los Pumas team wore a remake of Argentina‘s football kit, reminiscent of their 1986 World Cup quarter-final victory over England.

Source: bbc.com