England vs Argentina: A one-sided rugby rivalry - will Pumas bite back? — SkimNews
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- England hold a commanding 24-5-1 all-time record over Argentina across 30 Tests dating to 1981, including a perfect 5-0 mark at World Cups (1995, 2011, 2019, 2023 pool stages, and the 2023 third-place play-off).
- Argentina have won just one of the last 16 meetings with England, with their five total victories coming in 1990, 1997, 2006, 2009, and 2022.
- Argentina enter Saturday's Test on poor form, having been outplayed 47-38 at home by Scotland two weeks ago and narrowly beating Wales 35-21 after shipping 21 points in San Juan last week.
- England ended a five-Test losing streak with a heavy win over 14-player Fiji last weekend, following a fifth-place Six Nations finish and a heavy defeat in South Africa.
- Felipe Contepomi labelled England flanker Tom Curry a "bully" and claimed to have been "smacked" by the player in the tunnel after England's 27-23 win in November, an incident that remains unresolved.
- England's squad were instructed not to wear national shirts in Argentina due to tension surrounding Wednesday's FIFA World Cup semi-final, with wing Tommy Freeman expecting an "angrier" atmosphere than usual.
- Guy Pepper, who debuted on Argentina's soil last year, compared the home crowd to a "football-crowd mentality" but said England can "shut them up by outscoring them."
Why it matters: England have won the last five meetings, but both sides arrive in Santiago in poor form — Argentina humbled by Scotland at home, England rebounding from five straight Test defeats. A sixth straight England win extends a 24-5 historical dominance; an Argentina win would be their first over England since 2022 and a statement in rugby's new Nations Championship.
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