England edges Argentina 22-17 with Van Poortvliet's last-minute try
An England team without 15 British and Irish Lions upheld its record of never losing a series in Argentina since the first tour in 1981.
The match was headed for a 17-17 draw until, with a minute left, Argentina spilled possession on its 40-meter line and England counterattacked. Replacement back-rower Guy Pepper burst into the open, ran over or drew the last three defenders and gave backup scrumhalf Van Poortvliet a clear run to the tryline.
George Ford couldn't convert from the sideline, missing his first goalkick off the tee in the two tests, but the tour captain was rapt with his young team's success against a Pumas team which beat the Lions three weeks ago.
'We found a way in the end,' Ford said. 'We had a lot of opportunities in the 22 but we just couldn't execute. I like our fight, our togetherness, showing how much we care for each other. We should have scored more tries but the attitude of the group is great.'
After a ding-dong first half in which the lead swapped four times, Ford's tying penalty was the only score in the second half until the end. England spent most of the second spell in Argentina's half but the Pumas hustled and scrambled in defense.
Overall, England had 17 visits in Argentina's 22 in the match but scored only three tries. But it was just enough after hammering the Pumas 35-12 in La Plata last weekend.
Ford's crossfield kick to five-cap wing Tom Roebuck was supported by debutant Luke Northmore to feed one-cap center partner Seb Atkinson for the opening try.
Then, while England's Ben Curry was in the sin-bin for head contact, livewire Pumas scrumhalf Simón Benítez Cruz set up Lucio Cinti's try.
England fullback Freddie Steward made a good pickup of wing Will Muir's long pass to score, but Steward conceded the lead to Argentina on halftime when a Santiago Carreras chip at the goal post rebounded kindly for Ignacio Mendy to touch down.
Ford rubbed out the Pumas' three-point halftime lead with his only penalty kick.
Argentina seemed to be under siege for almost the entire second half. It successfully defended with 14 men after No. 8 Pablo Matera was sin-binned for laying offside in a tryline ruck. It was a professional foul by Matera, who became the Pumas' record caps holder in his 111th test.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
24 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Paul Skenes to start 2nd straight All-Star Game for NL and Tarik Skubal to open for AL
ATLANTA (AP) — Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes will start his second straight All-Star Game for the National League and Detroit's Tarik Skubal will open for the American League on Tuesday night at Truist Park. Major League Baseball made the announcement Saturday night. Skenes will become the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star Games since Washington's Max Scherzer and Boston's Chris Sale in 2017 and '18. Sale started three in a row beginning in 2016. Skenes and Skubal are 1-2 in average four-seam fastball velocity among those with 1,500 or more pitches this season, Skenes at 98.2 mph and Skubal at 97.6 mph, according to MLB Statcast. Skenes worked around Juan Soto's walk in a scoreless first at Arlington, Texas, last year, throwing at up to 100.1 mph. He made the start after just 11 major league appearances, the fewest for an All-Star. Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski, with five appearances, could take over that mark Tuesday if he pitches. Skubal pitched a perfect second inning in his first All-Star appearance last year, following Baltimore's Corbin Burnes to the mound. A 23-year-old right-hander, Skenes is 4-8 despite a major league-best 2.01 ERA for the Pirates, who are last in the NL Central. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has 131 strikeouts and 30 walks in 131 innings. Skubal, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 153 and walking 16 in 121 innings.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Calvin Harris has goal, assist in Rapids' 3-0 win over Whitecaps
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Calvin Harris had a goal and an assist and the Colorado Rapids defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night. Colorado's Zack Steffen made two saves for the clean sheet. Harris gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when he scored with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. In the 30th minute, Rafael Navarro scored with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box. Djordje Mihailovic assisted, with a second assist by Harris. Andreas Maxsø made it 3-0 with his header following a corner by Mihailovic in the 59th minute. Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka had three saves, one of them on Navarro's penalty try late in the first half. Vancouver (11-5-5) has lost four of five. Colorado (7-10-5) snapped a three-game winless streak. UP NEXT Whitecaps: Visit the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. Rapids: Visit the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. ___ AP soccer:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Stevenson-Zepeda, Berlanga-Sheeraz results: Fight card highlights
Hamzah Sheeraz has positioned himself for a future championship match after his performance at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, on Saturday night. The fight between Sheeraz and Edgar Berlanga was decided in the fifth round, but it could've easily been finished in the fourth. Sheeraz knocked down Berlanga twice in the closing moments of the fourth round before the American boxer was saved by the bell. Sheeraz carried his momentum into the first 17 seconds of the fifth round with three straight strikes to put away Berlanga. As a result of the victory, Sheeraz is now the mandatory WBC Super Middleweight Championship challenger. The British boxer may have positioned himself for a future fight with Canelo Alvarez. Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda delivered as the co-main event on the card. Stevenson's accuracy and versatility were on display for the world to see as he overcame a scrappy performance from Zepeda. Stevenson remains undefeated and retained his WBC lightweight championship. USA TODAY Sports had updates, analysis and highlights from the main card: Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz result: Round 1: Both fighters didn't wait for a 'feeling out' process before trading shots with one another. Both had moments in the opening round, but Berlanga may have landed the shots that made the biggest difference. Round 2: The second round served as more of a feeling-out process for both fighters. Sheeraz showed more variety with his punches and a strong command. Round 3: Sheeraz lands a strong uppercut in the final moments of the round before a late flurry of strikes from Berlanga. Round 4: Berlanga comes out swinging as the bell rings to start the round. Sheeraz answered back with a series of punches that knocked down Berlanga. He manages to get back up, only to get dropped by Sheeraz a second time. Berlanga got up a second time and was allowed to continue the fight. As Sheeraz walks back toward him, the bell sounds to end the round. Round 5: The bell rings to start the round and Sheeraz lands a quick combination to drop Berlanga to a knee just 17 seconds later. The fight is over. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda result: Rounds 1-4: William Zepeda has been the aggressor in the fight through the first four rounds. In both the third and fourth rounds, Zepeda has managed to force Shakur Stevenson against the ropes and cut off the ring. Round 5: Zepeda has thrown a large number of punches through the first 4.5 rounds. He's landed 93 of his 367 punches. Stevenson has landed nearly 50% of his punches (103 of 221). Round 6: Stevenson got the best of Zepeda in the round, landing some of the bigger shots in the round and staying in the middle of the ring. Round 7: Stevenson has continued to look sharp and quicker with his shots as the fight has continued. After an aggressive start, Zepeda has started to slow down. Round 8: Zepeda has slowed down but was able to land some successful shots as well in the round to stay in the fight. Despite a decent showing from Zepeda, the round may have still worked in Stevenson's favor, nullifying any of his opponent's momentum. Round 9: Stevenson's versatility and speed were on display throughout exchanges with Zepeda. It's currently Stevenson's fight to lose. Round 10: Zepeda continues to show a will to start in the fight and compete despite being slowed down by Stevenson. Both fighters traded blows early, but it was Stevenson who was still landing accurate shots. Round 11: Zepeda has continued to have moments of success, but he will need to have some power in his punches to pull out a victory as the fight enters the final round. Round 12: The crowd responds with cheers and approval as the fight comes to an end. Both Stevenson and Zepeda survive the fight and it will come down to the judges. Stevenson was efficient with his punches. Stevenson walked over to Zepeda's corner after the fight to tell him, "It's all love and respect. Thank you (for the fight)." Stevenson remains undefeated after a unanimous decision victory and retains the championship. He has won 24 straight fights (including 11 by knockout). Alberto Puello vs. Subriel Matias result: The fight has been even through the first eight rounds with Puello's WBC super lightweight title on the line. In the championship rounds, Puello lands a right-handed upper cut in the 11th round that hurts Matias but doesn't knock him down. Matias appeared exhausted down the stretch and had a visible cut over his left eye. Matias became the new champion by majority decision victory. Dalton Smith was in the ring after the fight to face off with Matias. The two men will fight for the title on Nov. 22. David Morrell vs Imam Khataev result: Imam Khataev delivered a two-punch power combination that nearly buckled the knees of David Morrell in the second round. It was the first time Morrell was knocked down in his career. Morrell managed to do some damage as well, creating a cut above Khataev's right eye in the early rounds. Morrell's team was overheard discussing the cut between the second and third rounds. Morrell was on pace to win the fifth round before Khataev landed a right-handed shot that sent the Cuban boxer back into the ropes in the final moments of the round. Morrell was fighting with a sense of urgency in the final 1:30 of the ninth round, landing several strikes to Khataev. While some thought Khataev would've earned the victory, it was Morrell who was tabbed as the winner by split decision. It's an early contender for fight of the night. Morrell entered the fight ranked in the Top 5 by the World Boxing Association. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda: Time, PPV, streaming for fight The highly anticipated bout between Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda will take place on Saturday, July 12 and can be watched on DAZN. Watch Stevenson vs Zepeda with DAZN Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda main card, ring walk start times Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight card odds All odds are for moneyline bets as of Thursday, according to BetMGM. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda Predictions Staff writes: For this WBC lightweight championship match between Stevenson and Zepeda, I predict that the former will win via unanimous decision against the latter because he already has a blueprint to beat power punchers and has enormous experience in high-level championship fights. Much like he did against Edwin De Los Santos, I expect Stevenson to break down Zepeda with stiff counters and solid jabs that would allow him to score points in the judges' scorecards while frustrating him at the same time." Mark Lelinwalla writes: "Masterful at planting his lead foot into the canvas and controlling the distance, Shakur Stevenson is absolutely brilliant working behind the jab, the anchor to his supreme sweet science. On the defensive side, Stevenson is slick and elusive, relying on the hit and don't get hit brand of boxing. He has the boxing skills to negate Zepeda's forward fighting and imposing power especially if the Mexican fighter struggles to get inside of Stevenson's world-class jab, arguably the best in all of boxing." Trent Reinsmith writes: "Zepeda needs to overcome the defense of Stevenson, and that's a tall order for any fighter. Put simply, Zepeda doesn't have the style to do that. His best hope is that he can score through volume and convince the judges to give him the nod because of that. Stevenson will prove to be defensively sound, and score with enough counters to get the nod." Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight card Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda price Shakur Stevenson will face William Zepeda, which includes the co-main event of Berlaga vs. Sheeraz, will be streamed on DAZN Pay-Per-View. In the U.S., fans can purchase the event for $59.99. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda: Tale of the tape
