Rugby World Cup: England wins the small final against Argentina

A great first for the XV de la Rose. Defeated by South Africa in the semi-finals, the English got the better of Argentina (26-23) this Friday, at the Stade de France, during the small final of the Rugby World Cup. This is the first time in its history that the XV de la Rose, world champion in 2003 and vice-world champion in 1991, 2007 and 2019, has taken third place in the global tournament. Eliminated by New Zealand in the semi-finals, the Pumas aimed to equal the best result in their history, in 2007.

This meeting, Owen Farrell's teammates got off to a flying start by quickly taking off (13-0, 13th) after in particular the powerful try of third-line center Ben Earl (7th). Imprecise during almost the entirety of this first act, the Pumas managed to pull themselves together just before the break with the trickster attempt of Tomas Cubelli (26th) who flattened on the line after having benefited from the advance of his forwards on several playing time. At the break, England leads by a short head, 16 to 10.

Quickly after returning from the locker room, Santiago Carreras enjoys a festival in the English defense where, after eliminating Théo Dan and Ellis Genge, he mystifies Marcus Smith with his burst of speed to flatten between the posts and completely restart this little final . The Pumas took the lead in the match for the first time (17-16, 43rd). But this happiness will be short-lived. From the dismissal, the Argentinian opener, definitely a major player at the start of the second half, was blocked on a clearance attempt and hooker Théo Dan managed to resist the return of Juan Cruz Mallia to score the second English try (44th).

Behind, this small finale offers a succession of inaccuracies on both sides as the clock ticks down. Owen Farrell, imperial in his role as scorer (6/6, 16 points), taking charge of consolidating his team's scoring advantage. In the 76th minute, Nicolas Sanchez had the opportunity to equalize but his penalty went to the left of the poles. The Pumas' luck had just passed and England could jubilantly climb onto the podium of the World Cup. A result that was unexpected just a few months ago.