Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

England v Argentina third-place play-off: Rugby World Cup 2023 match preview, team news, and stats

Written by 
Published in Rugby
Friday, 27 October 2023 03:50

England will finish their World Cup campaign with the third-place play-off match against Argentina on Friday - the side they began the tournament against.

Steve Borthwick's side beat Fiji in the quarter-final before losing to South Africa in the semi-finals.

Argentina overcame Wales in the quarter-finals but were soundly beaten by New Zealand in the last four.

A third-place finish for 2003 winners England is likely to be deemed a success after they started the tournament ranked eighth in the world after a poor run of results.

Meanwhile, a bronze medal for the South American side would equal their best finish at a World Cup when they came third the last time it was staged in France in 2007.

Team news

Tom Curry, who was sent off in the third minute of the pool game in September, is one of seven England players to retain their place in the starting XV despite a week of controversy.

Curry claimed South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi used a racial slur during England's semi-final defeat but World Rugby said there was "insufficient evidence" and closed the investigation.

Marcus Smith returns to full-back after missing the defeat by the Springboks and Henry Arundell is recalled on the wing as two of eight changes.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs makes his first start of the tournament in his final England appearance before retiring from the international game.

Argentina have made three changes from the side that was comfortably beaten by New Zealand in the semi-final.

Pedro Rubiolo starts in the second-row, Tomas Cubelli is named at scrum-half and Jeronimo de la Fuente will begin the game at inside centre.

Head coach Michael Chieka has kept faith with 19 of the matchday squad which faced England in the opening game.

View from England's camp

England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth: "We've seen progress and are pleased and proud of the players. If we get Friday night right and do our job to the best of our ability then we have a good chance of leaving the tournament with some tangible reward and some satisfaction to go along with all the hard work.

"This is not the week you want to be playing in. You can be honest and say this isn't the game that these two teams aimed to play in. But we could have already been at home and we're not. If you're asking where you'd rather be, you'd rather be here participating in a World Cup."

View from Argentina's camp

Argentina head coach Michael Cheika: "Winning the bronze medal is very important. It's a Rugby World Cup. It is very nice and very important. For us, for everything we did and for the country, to be able to win bronze is to finish as high as we can.

"Also the experience for everyone in the group, for the future and the legacy of the most experienced players. Finishing as high as we can was always the goal."

Centre Jeronimo de la Fuente: "Without a doubt, wearing a medal is not the same as not wearing one. Returning home winning is not the same as losing. Everyone can have their opinion about what it means to win a medal.

"For us, it is the best way to finish the World Cup. Our goal was to play in the final, aim for gold. But we still have a chance to win a medal."

Does the bronze-medal match matter?

England's 2003 World Cup winner Paul Grayson on the BBC's Rugby Union Daily: "If you have the game, the bronze medal is important as any Olympian will tell you. Argentina want to win it - they have effectively said the match is their World Cup final and they came here to get the bronze.

For England, it's a chance to push back against some of the criticism they have faced. Narrowly missing out on a final and beating Argentina twice in a tournament to come third, is not a disgrace."

Line-ups

England: Smith; Steward, Marchant, Tuilagi, Arundell; Farrell (capt), Youngs; Genge, Dan, Stuart, Itoje, Chessum, Curry, Underhill, Earl.

Replacements: George, Rodd, Cole, Ribbans, Ludlam, Care, Ford, Lawrence.

Argentina: Mallia; Boffelli, Cinti, De la Fuente, M Carreras; S Carreras, Cubelli; Gallo, Montoya (capt), Kodela, Pagadizabal, Rubiolo, Gonzalez, Kremer, Isa.

Replacements: Creevy, Sclavi, Bello, Alemanno, Bruni, Velez, Sanchez, Moroni.

Match officials

Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

Assistants: Andrew Brace (Ireland) and Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)

TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Match facts

Head-to-head stats

England

Argentina

Read 65 times

Soccer

Source: Al Nassr interested in Utd's Fernandes

Source: Al Nassr interested in Utd's Fernandes

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAl Nassr are one of the Saudi Pro League clubs interested in signin...

Sources: Utd women not told of cancelled awards

Sources: Utd women not told of cancelled awards

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester United's women's team found out the club's end of season...

FIFA to clear path for LaLiga, PL games in U.S.

FIFA to clear path for LaLiga, PL games in U.S.

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFIFA has moved towards ending decades of football tradition by revi...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Banged-up Cavs add LeVert to G5 injury report

Banged-up Cavs add LeVert to G5 injury report

EmailPrintIn addition to Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (calf) and center Jarrett Allen (rib) agai...

Playing with LeBron 'not my mindset,' Bronny says

Playing with LeBron 'not my mindset,' Bronny says

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHICAGO -- As Bronny James leaned back in his chair and surveyed th...

Baseball

'NBA teams have been tracking this kind of stuff for years': Why load management is MLB's next big thing

'NBA teams have been tracking this kind of stuff for years': Why load management is MLB's next big thing

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFOR DECADES, the story of a major league game has been told by the...

Mizuhara pleads not guilty in procedural step

Mizuhara pleads not guilty in procedural step

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated