England kick-off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign in just over a week’s time, with their first match taking place on Saturday, September 9th in Marseille. Steve Borthwick’s men have 10 days to prepare for their opening fixture against Argentina, and bounce back from a disappointing run of recent form.
Following their historic first ever defeat to Fiji, England have dropped down to eighth in the official World Rugby rankings. England have only sunken this low once before, after they became the first host nation to be eliminated in the Rugby World Cup pool stages, back in 2015.
With just three wins in nine matches since taking over, the Steve Borthwick era has been less than smooth sailing for England. Argentina will prove a tough test, as Los Pumas are flying high with Head Coach Michael Cheika at the helm. The former Wallabies coach has taken Argentina to sixth in the World Rugby rankings, and put out a statement of intent, with a victory over Australia in the 2023 Rugby Championship.
After England battle it out against Argentina, their remaining Pool D opponents make up a fixture list of Japan, Chile and Samoa. Here are England’s track records against each of their upcoming Rugby World Cup pool stage opponents.
ARGENTINA (vs England – September 9th, Marseille, 20:00 KO)
The oldest rivals for Steve Borthwick’s men in Pool D, Los Pumas and England have met 25 times throughout their history, with England’s predominantly successful track record dating back to 1981. England have won 19 of the encounters, with Argentina securing five wins and the spoils shared with just one draw.
Bizarrely, the only draw between these two nations took place in the first official fixture. On the opening match of the 1981 England tour to Argentina, what was then Mike Davis’ side drew 19-19 with the hosts in Buenos Aires, before winning the second test to claim the series victory. The two sides have previously met three times in the Rugby World Cup pool stages, with England securing the wins in 1995, 2011 and as recently as just four years ago in Japan.
The middle match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup is the best remembered fixture of the trio, as Argentina led 9-6 with little over 10 minutes left on the clock, down in New Zealand. However, England were able to secure a late winning try through Ben Youngs, as England’s most-capped player marked his Rugby World Cup debut in emphatic style.
It will be Argentina who are riding a wave of momentum into next Saturday’s game, as Los Pumas won the most recent meeting between the two sides. In what was a decisive blow in the downfall of Eddie Jones as England Head Coach, Argentina secured a dramatic 30-29 victory at Twickenham, during the 2022 Autumn Nations Series.
Argentina’s Emiliano Boffelli contributed a try, and kicked 20 points to build Los Pumas’ tally at ‘HQ’. Gloucester fly half Santiago Carreras added a try of his own towards the win, in what was Argentina’s first triumph at Twickenham since 2006. This ended England’s dominance over Los Pumas which stretched back to 2009, with Cheika’s side holding the bragging rights ahead of the upcoming clash in the South of France.