In the second test of the July international window, Los Pumas fell in a tight match 22-17 against England, at the Estadio del Bicentenario Stadium in San Juan.
The match marked several milestones for the Argentine national team: Pablo Matera became the player with the most appearances in Los Pumas with 111 caps, while Francisco Gómez Kodela became the oldest player to represent the Pumas at the age of 40. In addition, Benjamín Grondona and Agustín Moyano made their debuts with the senior team.
In a first half the English team started the better and scored the first try through Seb Atkinson, after a good kick and chase. The Pumas continued to play their game and five minutes later they scored thanks to a penalty kick by Santiago Carreras.
Argentina's momentum was confirmed midway through the first half when Englishman Ben Curry received a yellow card after a high tackle on Pablo Matera. The Pumas took full advantage of the extra man, and quickly found the ways to penetrate the tough England defense and scored their first try of the afternoon through Lucio Cinti. However, England took the lead again after a quick counterattack that culminated in a try by Freddie Steward. The Pumas responded with a try right on the half-time whistle when Ignacio Mendy chased a Carreras chip kick and the Pumas went to the break leading 17-14.
Both teams came out in the second half with the intention of minimizing mistakes, prioritizing their defense, and lifting the physical contact while trying to ensure good ball control. As the minutes went by, the English enjoyed territory and were pressing more and more. It was not until twelve minutes into the second half that the England team managed to tie the match on a penalty kick, thanks to the mid-range of their captain and fly-half George Ford.
Unfortunately for the Pumas they then saw a yellow card to Pablo Matera. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Argentine team tightened their defence and did not give any space to the English attack. The match looked like head for a draw.
However, two minutes from time in loose open play, England replacement Jack Van Poortvliet was put in space and he crossed for the winning try and a 22-17 victory, plus a 2-0 series lead.
First half: 3m, try by Seb Atkinson converted by George Ford (I); 8m, penalty by Santiago Carrera (LP); 25m, Lucio Cinti's try converted by Santiago Carreras (LP); 32m, try by Freddie Steward converted by George Ford (I); 40m, try by Ignacio Mendy converted by Santiago Carreras (LP);
Second half: 52m, George Ford (I) penalty; 78m, try by Jack Van Poortvliet (I)
Los Pumas: 1. Thomás Gallo (Mayco Vivas), 2. Julián Montoya (Bautista Bernasconi), 3. Francisco Gómez Kodela (Pedro Delgado), 4. Guido Petti, 5. Pedro Rubiolo (Lucas Paulos), 6. Santiago Grondona (Facundo Isa), 7. Juan Martín González, 8. Pablo Matera (Benjamín Grondona), 9. Simón Benítez Cruz (Agustín Moyano), 10. Santiago Carreras (Nicolás Roger), 11. Ignacio Mendy, 12. Justo Piccardo, 13. Lucio Cinti, 14. Matías Moroni, 15. Benjamín Elizalde.
England: 1. Fin Baxter (Bevan Rodd), 2. Theo Dan (Curtis Langdon), 3. Joe Hayes (Asher Opoku-Fordjour), 4. Charlie Ewels, 5. Alex Coles (Chandler Cunningham-South), 6. Ben Curry, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Tom Willis (Alex Dombrandt), 9. Ben Spencer (Jack Van Poortvliet), 10. George Ford (captain), 11. Will Muir (Cadan Murley), 12. Seb Atkinson, 13. Luke Northmore (Guy Pepper), 14. Tom Roebuck, 15. Freddie Steward.
