In the same week that Leo Messi’s Argentina and Harry Kane’s England did battle in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, the national rugby sides of each country face off in Santiago del Estero in the third round of the Nations Championship on Sunday.
To Win
Argentina | Draw | England
Handicap
Argentina | England
Match context
Argentina bounced back from their disappointing opening loss to Scotland by beating Wales 35-21 in San Juan last week to occupy third spot on the Southern Hemisphere table heading into the weekend. Boosted by a brace from brilliant Perpignan eighthman Joaquin Oviedo, the hosts scored five times to earn their first scalp of 2026 and take momentum into this clash against bitter foes England.
Currently ranked seventh, just 0.14 points off their sixth-placed opponents this week, Argentina may feel that they are a bit further off the Roses in reality after not having beaten them since 2022 — five losses ago.
That run includes the two defeats in France at the 2023 World Cup, the latter of which coming in the Bronze Final, while Steve Borthwick’s men got the better of Los Pumas no less than three times in 2025 — following up their two-game Argentinian tour in July with a slender 27-23 win in London in November.
In fact, to zoom out even further, Argentina has beaten England just twice since 2009, falling to 16 losses in 18 Tests in that period. Clearly the English have the Latin Americans’ number, but any confidence in the camp will be muted somewhat following the former’s form so far in 2026.
Still, they will head into this one off the back of a 73-8 second round annihilation of Fiji a week on from their loss to South Africa in Johannesburg, with many positives to take from that performance. That match in Liverpool saw the Brits run in as many as 11-tries, with that chap Henry Pollock bagging himself a hattrick.
Based on what we’ve been seeing in this fixture for the better part of two decades, an England win is obviously most likely, but Argentina under Felipe Contepomi have proven they can turn it on when required and will be targeting a big performance.
Players to watch
Joaquin Oviedo (Argentina)
Oviedo went into full beast mode against Wales, racking up the most tries, metres (a mammoth 98), carries (20) and defenders beaten (six) to scoop the Man of the Match prize with ease. Considering he played just 49-minutes before his coached opted to hook him to ostensibly save some fuel in the tank for this clash, it’s safe to assume the 24-year-old will be in prime position to deliver another knockout performance on Sunday.
England’s pack were much improved after their under par showing against the Boks, and Oviedo’s impact in the collisions will be vital if his team are to end their barren run against the Roses.
Fin Smith (England)
Another MOTM from round two, Smith’s stellar showing against Fiji has added further fuel to the fire that he is beginning to come of age at Test level. Sure, Fiji were admittedly poor in Liverpool in conceding as many points as they did, but Smith’s game management and execution remained on point throughout the contest with the debate around the white No 10 shirt now all but over.
Even against the Springboks in round one he showed his quality, but last week he was on another level —with his nine tackles and nine kicks from eleven off the tee (to say nothing of his ball in hand performance) meaning he will again be charged with leading the way for England in Santiago del Estero.
Tactical overview
After their underwhelming shift in Johannesburg, the way in which England managed to stifle the Fiji’s game has given cause for much optimism and they’ll now be aiming at doing the same to Argentina, especially at the set piece, and preventing them from getting any momentum from which to unleash their strike runners.
The presence of Oviedo will again be key for the home side, who benefit so much from his work on both sides of the ball. If the 24-year-old, along with loose forward buddies like Marcos Kremer and Santiago Grondonam, can make a few dents in the English defence and keep Smith’s time and space limited, Contepomi’s charges will be in a fantastic position to win the Test match.
On the other hand, England’s superior organisation and discipline have the potential to starve Argentina of any meaningful attacks, and if they can front up physically, they will be difficult to stop.
Prediction
England to claim the win on the board and down a spirited Argentinian outfit in their home patch.
