An England side giving five players their first starts produced a vintage first-half performance in brushing aside a disappointing Argentina by a record 32-3 at Estadio Maltearana on Saturday.
In the first of two Tests, England had the game won by halftime, when they led 25-3 with three tries showcasing adventure, superb support play and clinical finishing. The last converted try on fulltime by replacement No.8 Billy Vunipola, on debut, gave England their biggest win over the Pumas in Argentina.
Neither team looked anything remotely like their last match at the 2011 World Cup. England were without 10 players in the British and Irish Lions squad plus injured and rested stars, while the Pumas rested most of their big names for the Rugby Championship.
An even match was expected, but England made the first half appear like a training run in their first win in Argentina in 11 years.
Penalties against the Pumas’ creaky scrum gave England flyhalf Freddie Burns his first two penalties.
Then, from an English throw-in in their own half, winger Christian Wade zipped up the middle, centre Jon Joseph gathered a loose pass, drew three defenders and passed to left winger Dave Strettle, who stretched out to score in the tackle of fullback Martin Bustos Moyano, the Pumas’ only uncapped player. Burns’ conversion hit the post, his only miss.
Eight minutes later, England’s passing stretched the Pumas to breaking point, with Wade giving the last scoring pass to fellow back Billy Twelvetrees. Soon after, England attacked from their own 22 off a Pumas lineout turnover, and No.8 Ben Morgan burst through two tacklers to score for 25-0 in the 32nd minute.
England’s brilliance appeared casual against the Pumas’ woeful set-pieces and flimsy tackling.
Bustos Moyano finished the half with a first penalty kick, but he missed two more at the start of the second half. The Pumas played better as England kicked away more possession and then gave away penalties into trying to regain the ball. Referee David Pollock finally tired of the negativity and sin-binned reserve lock Courtney Lawes.
But England blew three more tries, two of them botched by Strettle’s hands. Twelvetrees had one disallowed by a forward pass, while Argentina never looked like scoring a try.
Vunipola barged past two defenders off the back of a scrum to finish a flat second half, and surpass England’s previous biggest win in Argentina by 26 points in 1997.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
South Africa have managed to grind out victory in a "proper Test match", edging Argentina 22-21 in their final Rugby Championship fixture at Ellis…
Argentina's rugby union players believe Michael Cheika is instilling belief into them that they can be world beaters. The Australian coach is having an…
A tournament that was positioned perfectly at the mid-point, with all four sides having won and lost twice, eventually split into two, with New…
This year’s Rugby Championship has been fantastic for its closeness, and even if it probably did open up a bit with last weekend’s results,…
Sack all the tipsters. With all sides entering Round 3 with a win and a loss to their name, all conventional wisdom pointed to…
The second Test between Argentina and Australia hit many people like a bucket of ice water. The first Test was a rollercoaster that had…
