Contepomi storms out as England celebrate controversial win
Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi abandoned his post-match press conference after just four minutes, accusing England of showing a “lack of respect” as music and cheering echoed from the visitors’ dressing room. The extraordinary scene unfolded in Santiago del Estero following England’s 31-24 Nations Championship victory, a match already defined by seven sin-binnings, Falklands Islands banners in the stands and a disallowed try in the third minute of overtime that would have levelled the scores.
England led 19-3 at half-time but unravelled spectacularly in the second period as Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Coles, Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun all received yellow cards, forcing the tourists to play nine minutes with 13 men including the frantic closing stages. The visitors have now accumulated 14 yellow cards across their last eight Tests, a statistic that clearly irked Steve Borthwick when pressed on his side’s discipline.
Borthwick hits back at questioning of England’s character
The England head coach refused to engage with questions about the ill-discipline that nearly cost his team a second successive defeat, instead labelling the assembled media a “negativity committee” and insisting the focus should be on a “fantastic Test match” featuring “wonderful tries.” Borthwick praised the leadership of captain Jamie George and the collective spirit that saw his depleted side hold firm, reserving special mention for Henry Slade’s try-saving tackle on Bautista Delguy in the dying moments.
Video referee Brett Cronan ruled Delguy had grounded the ball on the touchline, denying Argentina a dramatic draw and sparking the celebrations that so incensed Contepomi. Borthwick acknowledged the unique intensity of Anglo-Argentine contests across any sport, describing them as invariably tight and dramatic, before urging his players to enjoy a well-earned break after a gruelling season that has pushed English minutes to their limit.