England v Argentina: Five takeaways as Tom Curry ‘tackle chaos’ overshadows performance of ‘centre of attention’ in Red Rose triumph

Following a 27-23 victory for England over Argentina at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here’s our five takeaways from Sunday’s Autumn Nations Series clash.

The top line

England extended their unbeaten run to 11 with a narrow victory that pulsed with intensity from the opening drop goal to the final whistle, as the hosts went four from four in a really characterful display in arguably their hardest Autumnal assignment.

But Argentina almost repeated the fests of Murrayfield at the end, as they stayed alive through sheer will and skill as Santiago Carreras ignited their late surge and drove the contest into drama that spilled beyond the pitch when tempers flared in the aftermath.

Max Ojomoh stamped his mark early with a try and later delivered a cross-kick that invited Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to score in the corner; his numbers told the story of an exceptional day at the office. 12 carries for 78 metres, two clean breaks, one try, one assist, and a kicking contribution that shifted pressure and hit Argentina hard. Henry Slade arrived with timing and calm for the decisive second-half strike, whilst George Ford shaped the game with an opening drop goal, three conversions, and a penalty that sealed the margin. Ben Earl operated as England’s piston, driving through collisions with relentless energy once again in another world class display at eight; 19 carries, 23 tackles, and two turnovers won, and Ben Spencer controlled tempo with box-kick precision and quick release.

Across the divide, Los Pumas man mountain Marcos Kremer hunted breakdowns with ferocity and kept the Pumas heartbeat racing at each contact in another huge display; Off the bench, Joaquín Oviedo carried with weight and intent that bent shoulders and drew support runners into clean lanes, whilst Argentina’s most improved player of the tour Justo Piccardo struck at the heart of the English defence with a back-rower’s power and the timing of a midfielder, and Thomas Gallo anchored the scrum with power and timing that asked a real question of England’s tightheads, whilst still finding enough energy to be his usual human bowling ball around the park. This was a match of fine margins and fierce collisions, a meeting of two teams that have a lot of history and that refused to soften, and, unedifyingly, the theatre continued after the whistle when emotions ran high.

England depth sees them home

England will be delighted with the way they came out of the other side of this match. They absorbed pressure, reset shape, and leaned into patterns that travelled under strain, and as things progressed, the aerial game became a lever for territory, the scrum a newly found hinge for momentum, and a defensive set that will really please Byron McGuigan in its intellect and surety. England found their method in moments that mattered and those moments arrived when the contest threatened to tilt through sheer spirit and some very good execution. The first quarter belonged to England because Ford’s drop goal and Ojomoh’s finish gave them a cushion, yet the second half opened with Argentina’s surge and the scoreboard narrowed to a single strike, and it was then that England leaned into habits that travel under pressure. They absorbed the storm without panic, reset shape with clarity, and turned to the patterns that have defined this unbeaten run. The scrum became a hinge for momentum when the Pumas had clawed back to within four and the next penalty could have swung the mood. Will Stuart held firm, straight and direct, and the front-row delivered a shove that did more than win metres; it gave England oxygen and belief, and you could feel the lift ripple through the pack.

The aerial rhythm never slackened even as the clock ticked into the final quarter and Argentina chased chaos because Freddie Steward kept arriving at height with soft hands and calm feet, Elliot Daly stitched broken play into shape with linking passes that turned recovery into structure, and Feyi-Waboso hunted every spiral as if the game depended on it, which in those minutes it did. Each catch and clearance became a pressure valve, each contest a message that England would not yield the sky, and that message mattered because Argentina were throwing everything at the breakdown and the edges and the noise was climbing. Behind that, the defensive network bound the whole picture together, with the outstanding Earl hammering collisions and folding bodies back under the gainline with the same ferocity that had already delivered nineteen carries and two turnovers. Those moments were not just technical wins, they were emotional anchors that steadied England when the game felt like a storm, showing just how far this team has travelled in their improvement journey.

Centre of attention

England hold off brave fightback from spirited Argentina to clinch 11th successive victory

Ojomoh, a player that many have been calling to start for some time now, nailed the Player of the Match award as he played with instinct and craft, blending footwork, distribution, and aerial skill to stretch Argentina’s defence. His cross-kick for Feyi-Waboso was probably down to the skills he’s learned standing in at 10 for Bath, his offload for Slade a touch of timing that sealed the contest.

Ojomoh’s game felt made for this level because he never required perfect conditions to impose his shape and he made the most of some half-chances; in short, he simply saw options and turned them into outcomes. His three-tool threat; carry, pass, kick, forced defenders to cover all lanes, and that coverage opened room for Spencer to vary the point of attack and for Ford to play chess with back-field spacing. To England’s credit, once again the bench played a huge part; that axis sat a squad that spoke depth with confidence: two world-class nines in Spencer and Mitchell, a front five stacked with options from Cowan-Dickie to Opoku-Fordjour, and a centre group that could flex between power, craft, and aerial smarts. England’s midfield guided the team through pressure, turned crumbs into clean phases, and brought a finishing calm that suited Test rugby’s hardest challenge – an Autumn Nations Series clean sweep.

Argentina proud

Once again, a mad second half ensued, inspired by Carreras, as Argentina carried a performance that breathed class, resilience, and ambition, built on a spine of hard men and clever hands. Kremer led with ferocity at the collision and a work rate that set tone for each set, replacement Oviedo hammered through traffic with steps that destabilized and shoulders that refused to soften and the route back into the match came through disciplined scoring and unhurried build. It looked for all money that Murrayfield 2 was one the cards, as Carreras glided out of the back-field and shifted defenders with hips rather than show, and phase length grew as cleanouts arrived on time and support runners flooded the line with conviction. Argentina troubled England through aggressive line speed across midfield, through contests in the air that pulled errors and position, and through carries that targeted the inside shoulders of guards rather than the glamour of width.

Their re-entry into the final quarter carried elegance and sharp edges and it was only the clock that truly beat them. Carreras cut from deep and bent the chase, Rodrigo Isgro finished with authority, Matías Moroni fought for yards in heavy traffic and kept ball away from touch, and the set-piece offered clean launch when momentum demanded pressure rather than flair. Argentina might not have won this match but they’ve won over a lot of fans this Test season and they’re a side able to trouble anyone in the world.

Curry tackle chaos

Right at the end Argentina were incandescent with anger as their full-back limped off injured and they had no players left on the bench to replace him. In short, the Tom Curry collision with Juan Cruz Mallía landed fractionally late and sat in the penalty band rather than the card band, and the law framework in play prevented replacement and therefore left Argentina short for the finish, which carried a sting for players and coaches who had fought their way back into range and now felt the burden of a man down in the last acts.

But in a Test as close as this there’s little wonder that the temperature rose, voices sharpened, and the scene around the tunnel and the technical area continued well after the final whistle. Argentina sought escalation in sanction through passion and through the dynamics of the moment, England held their line around the decision and played the next set with urgency, and the stadium breathed hard as the final sequence unfolded with Carreras breaking and England scrambling and the last lineout offering a chance that met Charlie Ewels’s reach – Ben Earl dived on the loose ball and finally Twickenham breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In a rather fiery ending, Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi was seen angrily engaging with fans and officials as the evening’s narrative pushed beyond the final whistle, yet the facts of the incident remained clear; the hit arrived a shade late, the sanction aligned with the framework, but the key here is that Argentina had unloaded their whole bench and had no one left to send on, a nuance in law that penalised them rather unfairly. With 15 on, it may have ended differently – exactly Argentina’s point and surely this is one that needs looking at next time the law makers convene?

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