It has been a long season, but England’s jet-lagged rugby players can finally head to the beach with some satisfaction, having survived a frantic finish to secure a five-try win over Argentina in a match that featured more yellow cards than a canary convention. Spurred by a fine performance from wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, England weathered a storm of sin-binnings - four in total, reducing them to 13 and briefly 12 men - to deny their hosts a notable sporting double over their English amigos this week.

Marcus Smith and Feyi-Waboso scored crucial tries in the final quarter, while Ben Earl bagged a brace in the first half. England also defended stoutly, with Ollie Chessum, Ellis Genge, and Joe Heyes fronting up at the fag end of an energy-sapping campaign. The win, however, came at a cost: Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Coles, Henry Pollock, and debutant Manny Iyogun all saw yellow, bringing England’s tally to 14 yellow cards in their last 10 Tests. Argentina, who had three players binned themselves, nearly capitalized, with a 79th-minute try from Justo Piccardo setting up a tense finale. But a last-gasp tackle from Henry Slade on Bautista Delguy saved the day.

England’s 26,000-mile trek across three continents has been an education, to say the least. After a chastening defeat in Johannesburg and a 70-point romp against Fiji, fans were uncertain what to expect in Santiago del Estero, a city known as the “Mother of Cities” and a graveyard for visiting teams like South Africa and Scotland. England, however, started strong, with tries from Earl and Feyi-Waboso putting them ahead 19-3 at halftime. But the Pumas roared back after the break, aided by a string of English penalties and injuries that saw both half-backs temporarily sidelined.

Despite the chaos, England’s depth and resilience shone through. Van Poortvliet’s long ball set up Marcus Smith’s try, and Feyi-Waboso added a spectacular score to push the lead to 30-17. Argentina’s late surge fell short, thanks to Slade’s tackle and a controversial decision by referee Angus Gardner to overrule his initial call after TMO advice. The win nudges England to third in the tournament standings and gives coach Steve Borthwick some breathing space, though Argentina’s coach Felipe Contepomi was less impressed, cutting his press conference short due to “disrespectful” celebratory noise from England’s dressing room. Borthwick, meanwhile, dismissed critics as “negative” and praised his team’s spirit, especially Slade’s “incredible” effort.