pumas

England just about rode out a second-half fightback from Argentina as an eye-catching Twickenham debut from Max Ojomoh helped extend their winning streak to 11 successive Tests.

Ojomoh scored one try and made another with a crossfield kick in the first half as England stretched out into a 17-3 lead at the break.

Their advantage could have been even more emphatic had hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie not had a try ruled out for a slight knock-on on the final play of the first half.

Argentina, who fought back from 21 points down to beat Scotland last weekend, crowbarred their way back into the contest though.

Justo Piccardo slid in before a pair of penalties from Tomas Albornoz and Santiago Carreras reduced the deficit to 17-16 on the hour.

But England seemed to recapture the momentum just in time.

A big break from Alex Coles set up a platform from which Ojomoh popped up for Henry Slade to stroll in under the posts.

George Ford’s conversion and penalty pushed England 11 points clear, only for Rodrigo Isgro’s converted try in the final minute to set up a grandstand last play.

The Pumas, needing a try to snatch victory, pounded away, with support from a small but loud collection of fans in the stands.

However, a final line-out, within 10 metres of the England line, went astray to wild cheers from the majority of the 80,807 spectators and Alex Mitchell kicked to the stands to ensure his England side successfully round off a 2025 that has featured only one defeat, a reverse against Dublin in February.

More to follow

The baggage is unavoidable.

So Clarin, Argentina’s biggest newspaper, steered straight into it instead.

In the first two lines of their preview of Sunday’s match, “history, politics, the Falklands War and England’s persistent imperialist views” were all referenced., external

The story of a teenage Federico Mendez ironing out England second row Paul Ackford with a blindside haymaker 35 years ago was retold.

On Thursday, Franco Molina threw in another piece of the Anglo-Argentine back story.

“It was a goal, the referee gave it, it was a goal!,” the Argentina second row said, recalling Diego Maradona’s contentious ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 quarter-final meeting at the football World Cup.

But it was all with a smile.

If all that history is being brewed up as pep-talk kerosene, Molina, who spent last season playing for Exeter, hid it well.

For him there was too much to get excited about in the 80 minutes to come, without dredging up the past.

“It is a big game, just because of the context of the international game,” he said.

“It is really special playing at Twickenham.

“It is going to be a really physical game and every English team is tidy in what they do, all the kicks from the field, all the play with the ball in hand.

“We will need to be really connected and precise across the whole 80 minutes to beat them.”

More consistent success raises expectations of Argentina, something they have not always handled well.

In the summer they lost a home series 2-0 to England, despite Steve Borthwick’s side missing 14 players who were touring with the British and Irish Lions.

In the Rugby Championship, they started with a defeat and a win at home against New Zealand and went to Australia with a big chance to cement their status as title contenders.

Despite leading by 14 points at half-time, they ended up losing 28-24 after conceding a last-gasp try.

They avenged that loss the next week and ran the Springboks close in their final game after a 67-30 defeat in Durban, but finished bottom of the table.

Argentina went to Cardiff as favourites last week and put up 52 points, but Scotland are unlikely to be as charitable as Wales and the Pumas do not usually tour well in the northern hemisphere either.

The last time they won more than one game in November Tests was 2014.

However, with Wales dispatched and Scotland and England to come, this team has the chance for a historic clean sweep.

The odds might be against them, but three wins on British soil is not farfetched for this Argentina side.

Argentina team to face Scotland: Cruz Mallia, Isgro, Moroni, Chocobares, M Carreras, Prisciantelli, Benitez Cruz; Vivas, Montoya (capt), Delgado, Petti, Rubiolo, S Grondona, Martin Gonzalez, Oviedo.

Replacements: Ruiz, Gallo, Coria Marchetti, Elias, Matera, Moyano, S Carreras, Piccardo.