England was forced to give their all to achieve their eleventh consecutive victory, with Max Ojomoh as a key figure in the 27-23 victory over Argentina at Allianz Stadium.
The possibility of a first autumn sweep since 2021 hung by a thread until the final whistle, while images of the Pumas’ impressive comeback against Scotland a week earlier ran through the minds of the English.
The 17-0 advantage built in the first 25 minutes evaporated as tension gripped Twickenham, but, continuing the campaign’s trend, Steve Borthwick’s men found a way to cross the line.
Henry Slade scored in the 65th minute to calm the nerves with a try that was set up by the man of the match, Ojomoh, the inside center with two caps who created another for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and also scored himself.Max Ojomoh impresionó durante la victoria de Inglaterra sobre Argentina.Much of the game was played in the air and, although England dominated in the first half thanks to the kicks of Ben Spencer and George Ford, the tables turned after the break.
Freddie Steward shone as aerial bombs rained down and there was a colossal performance from Maro Itoje, but even with a 27-16 lead, the hosts couldn’t relax, as Rodrigo Isgro’s try in the 80th minute set up a heart-stopping finish.
Argentina was 10 meters from the try line and lost the line-out, with Ben Earl taking the ball and saving his team from suffering a first defeat since February.
The drama to come was unthinkable, as a drop-goal from George Ford and Ojomoh’s try (enabled by Feyi-Waboso’s challenge for a contestable kick) propelled England to 10-0 in 10 minutes.
A robust defense held the Pumas’ attack at bay, while the left post denied a penalty by Santiago Carreras that was well cleared by Itoje.
England’s scrum was already dominating and, with referee Pierre Brousset signaling an imminent penalty, Ford shifted right to Ojomoh, whose precise pass-kick found Feyi-Waboso running for a classy try.
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A thunderous tackle by Spencer stopped an Argentinian attack in its tracks, but the visitors showed their ability to create space and only a pass to Ford’s head prevented them from scoring.
The opening Tomás Albornoz scored a long-distance penalty and England would have extended their lead if Luke Cowan-Dickie had grounded the ball correctly after a line-out drive.
It turned out to be a costly mistake because five minutes into the second half Argentina struck, igniting their unloading game to take advantage of a frayed home defense, with center Justo Piccardo enjoying an easy run.
England had broken down too easily and, suddenly, the Pumas were in command, a point reinforced when Albornoz scored a penalty.
Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Will Stuart, and Fin Baxter came off the bench hoping to inspire a resurgence, but it was Steward who caught the eye with two towering catches.
The penalty count was mounting against England and Carreras scored three more points, but in the 66th minute, they responded when Ojomoh ran strongly from a line-out and passed out of the tackle for Slade to score.
Ford’s penalty seemed to seal the victory, only for Isgro to prepare the spectacular finish that slipped from the Pumas’ grasp.
