England claimed Rugby World Cup bronze with a hard-fought 26-23 victory over Argentina on Friday, giving a squad still raw from their agonising semi-final exit genuine cause to celebrate. Owen Farrell was the difference-maker, booting four penalties and two conversions for 16 points as Steve Borthwick’s men finished the tournament with six wins from seven games.
England Rugby World Cup Bronze Win Built on Farrell’s Precision
This was never going to be a free-flowing spectacle — both sides knew it, and so did the largely French crowd who made their feelings clear from the off. Nevertheless, the physicality and commitment were immediate. Within three minutes, Tom Curry — winning his 50th cap after a turbulent week involving accusations of discriminatory language against South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi — buried his bandaged head and strapped nose into a ruck to win the first penalty. Against a wall of boos, Farrell slotted it without a flicker of hesitation.
England then produced their cleanest moment of the match. A sharp exchange between Farrell and Marcus Smith sent Ben Earl crashing over, and further Farrell accuracy extended the lead to 13-0. Argentina kept running into their own mistakes — handling errors cost them dearly — but scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli squeezed through for a try, aided by what looked a clear forward pass, and Emiliano Boffelli’s penalty and conversion made it 16-10 at the interval.
Argentina Fight Back Before England Hold Their Nerve
The second half detonated immediately. Santiago Carreras slipped three defenders to score under the posts and suddenly Argentina led. That lead, however, lasted less than two minutes. Hooker Theo Dan — ironically the man who had failed to stop Carreras — charged him down, gathered, and scored. Remarkable turnaround.
Thereafter, the game became scrappy. Replacements disrupted the rhythm, kicks went astray, and both defences held firm. Consequently, points were hard to come by — a Boffelli penalty and a Farrell scrum penalty traded blows before replacement Nicolas Sanchez levelled the scoring threat at 26-23 with minutes remaining.
It was a scenario England knew all too well. A week earlier on the very same pitch, South Africa had snatched the semi-final three minutes from time. This time, with five minutes left, Sanchez stepped up from wide on the left — and dragged it wide. England saw it out. Full match details are available on BBC Sport.
Sam Underhill, a late call-up making his tournament debut, was immense throughout — 24 tackles and a deserved man of the match. “We just stuck to our game plan, we didn’t panic,” he said. “A lot of the lads know it is the last 20 minutes of these games that matter.” Six weeks, six pool wins, a semi-final, and bronze. Not the gold they chased, but England leave France with something to build on.