England post statement away victory in niggly clash with Argentina

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina, July 18 : Ben Earl scored two tries as England posted a statement 31-24 win away over Argentina in the Nations Championship on Saturday, winning a feisty contest littered with yellow cards, penalties and altercations between fired-up players and with a dramatic TMO decision at the death.

It was a second successive victory for England, after last weekend’s 73-8 rout of Fiji in Liverpool ended a run of six successive losses, while Argentina lost the second of their first three games in the new competition.

Tommy Freeman, Marcus Smith and man-of-the-match Immanuel Feyi-Waboso also scored tries for England, while Fin Smith kicked three conversions.

Argentina scored through Mateo Carreras and Justo Piccardo and were awarded a penalty try in the second half with Tomas Albornoz putting over a penalty and two conversions.

England opened the try scoring in the third minute with a clever chip kick from Fin Smith allowing Freeman to go over. It kicked off the first of several skirmishes between the players, pulling and tugging at each other’s jerseys as tempers were quick to fray.

Argentina, who played in the same blue colours that their soccer side did in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final win over England in Atlanta, were further behind after 23 minutes when prop Joe Heyes burst through before Feyi-Waboso picked up his pass and fed Earl in support.

Earl’s second try came 10 minutes thereafter as England won a scrum on the five-metre line and he finished off an impressive drive.

PUMAS REVITALISED AFTER POOR FIRST HALF

It ensured a deserved 19-3 halftime lead but a revitalised home side were in the contest quickly after the break when winger Mateo Carreras, who had been sent to the sin bin in the first half,