High drama as England survive stirring Argentina comeback to maintain 100% record

Northampton Saints duo James Pater and Aiden Ainsworth-Cave scored a brace each as England booked their World Rugby Junior World Championship semi-final place with a nail-biting 40-38 win over Argentina in their winner-takes- all Pool C clash.

England made Los Pumitas pay for slack discipline, with the South Americans losing Benjamin Ordiz to a 20-minute red card after 16 minutes for a dangerous clear-out on England skipper Connor Treacey.

They then had Bautista Benavides sin-binned after 49 minutes, giving a massive advantage to England and leaving themselves with an uphill fight to claw their way back into the game they had started well, when Tomas Dande scored a fifth-minute try that Federico Serpa converted.

Will Knight crossed the line to pull England level with a 12-minute try that Hugh Shields converted, but four minutes after Ordiz left the pitch Pater scored a try with Shields converting.

Cuneo Camargo reduced England’s lead to two points with a 26th-minute try, but they wrestled back control with two tries in the final five minutes of the first half through Jimmy Staples and Ainsworth-Cave, both of which were converted by Shields.

World Rugby U20 Championship

Pool A

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

South Africa U20

2

2

0

0

10

2

Wales U20

2

2

0

0

9

3

Georgia U20

2

0

2

0

2

4

Uruguay U20

2

0

2

0

0

Pool B

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

New Zealand U20

3

3

0

0

15

2

Scotland U20

3

2

1

0

11

3

Italy U20

3

1

2

0

7

4

Japan U20

3

0

3

0

1

Pool C

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

England U20

3

3

0

0

15

2

Argentina U20

3

2

1

0

12

3

Ireland U20

3

1

2

0

8

4

USA U20

3

0

3

0

1

Pool D

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Australia U20

2

2

0

0

10

2

France U20

2

2

0

0

10

3

Spain U20

2

0

2

0

2

4

Fiji U20

2

0

2

0

0

Ainsworth-Cave scored his second try within a minute of the restart after Shields combined with Lucas Friday before Bautista Lescano dived into the corner with a 45th-minute try.

England had Argentina on the ropes four minutes later when Pater scored his second try, and Benavides was sin binned but they couldn’t take advantage. Instead, Simon Pfister collected an inside pass to score, with Federico Serpa drilling over the conversion.

England were reduced to 13 men after Elliot Williams and Knight were picked up yellow cards within three minutes of each other, the second coming in the build-up to Lescano scoring his second try, which Manuel Giannantonio converted.

Argentina fought their way back into the game two minutes from time with Pfister scoring his second try, Giannantonio landing the conversion, but England hung on and survived a last-gasp TMO check for foul play four minutes into added-on time.