- Testing conditions limit scoring from the kicks
- Banahan scores games only try to secure 16-9 victory for England
Matt Banahan’s third try in three games against Argentina broke the deadlock for England to secure a first win of the Investec Challenge series.
The Bath wing finished off the best move of the game 10 minutes from time after his side had struggled to get out of first gear. Jonny Wilkinson converted and added a drop goal and two penalties.
England had to stage a late goalline stand to hang on for the victory but Argentina’s driving power wasn’t backed up by finishing expertise and they relied on centre Martin Rodriguez to keep the scoreboard ticking over with three penalties.
England had made four changes to the side beaten 18-9 by Australia. Duncan Bell replaced the injured David Wilson at tighthead with scrum half Paul Hodgson, hooker Dylan Hartley and number eight James Haskell coming into the side.
November storms, wind and rain made conditions testing for both teams but Argentina had the upper hand in the opening 20 minutes despite trailing 6-3 at the end of the opening quarter.
Lewis Moody’s chargedown set up the field position for Wilkinson to drill over a drop goal from wide on the left and the England fly half struck from 50 metres with a penalty after the Pumas clung on to the ball in a ruck.
Between the two kicks Mark Cueto was hauled down 10 metres short after a break down the right but Argentina countered with a long spell of pressure that led to a Rodriguez penalty in the 14th minute and the centre missed with a kickable chance three minutes later.
A tight finish
Argentina were level 15 minutes before half time after Croft was caught offside defending a high kick with Rodriguez on target from 25 metres.
He missed again from long range shortly after but was on target three minutes before the break to put his side in front for the first time as the home side made too many unforced errors.
Wilkinson kept them in the game with a 40 metre penalty immediately before the interval, giving England the chance to reorganise and start again with more purpose.
Both kickers missed early shots at goal in the second half but England were increasingly more enterprising with Cueto’s break down the right setting up a decent lineout position only for the wing to get nailed when England moved the ball wide searching for a first try.
It took some time for them to get ahead, Wilkinson missing with two long-range efforts, but finally the tumblers clicked into place and Argentina’s defence was unlocked.
Haskell and Steve Borthwick broke tackles through the middle and kept the ball alive for Hodgson to flick the ball away with Shane Geraghty fixing defenders and Moody’s assist giving Banahan a third try in four games with Wilkinson’s conversion completing the job.
England
Ugo Monye (Harlequins); Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Danny Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers), Shane Geraghty (Northampton Saints), Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby); Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon; Andy Goode, Brive 75), Paul Hodgson (London Irish; Danny Care, Harlequins 75); Tim Payne (London Wasps; Paul Doran-Jones, Gloucester Rugby 63), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints; Steve Thompson, Brive 68), Duncan Bell (Bath Rugby), Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Steve Borthwick (Saracens), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers; Joe Worsley, London Wasps 63), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), James Haskell (Stade Francais).
Replacements: Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints),), Ayoola Erinle (Biarritz).
Argentina
Horacio Agulla; Lucas Borges, Gonzalo Tiesi, Martin Rodriguez, Mauro Comuzzi; Santiago Fernandez, Alfredo Lalanne (Agustin Figuerola 75); Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Martin Scelzo (Marcos Ayerza 67), Esteban Lozada (Manuel Carizza 55), Patricio Albacete, Tomas Leonardi, Alfredo Abadie (Alejandro Campos 33), Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (capt).
Replacements: Alberto Vernet Basualdo, Benjamin Urdapilleta, Federico Martin Aramburu
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU). Attendance: 78,743.