England hold off Argentina fight back to take bronze

PARIS : England held off a spirited Argentina 26-23 at the Stade de France to take third place at the Rugby World Cup on Friday for a measure of consolation after the disappointment of their narrow semi-final defeat last week.

The boot of Owen Farrell proved the difference as both sides scored two tries apiece but the England captain was unerringly accurate as he put over four penalties and two conversions, for a tally of 16 points, to ensure his team edged the match.

England looked to put behind them the disappointment of their 16-15 loss to South Africa in last Saturday's semi in Paris as they raced into a 13-point lead and were 16-10 ahead at halftime but they allowed Argentina to close the gap to three points in an error-strewn second half.

It was the first time England had taken the bronze medal at the World Cup after winning the 2003 tournament and finishing runners-up on three other occasions.