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Argentina vs England predictions:
- England -3 1st half handicap – 10/11 with BoyleSports
- Under 19.5 total Argentina points – 10/11 with William Hill
- Theo Dan anytime tryscorer – 2/1 with Unibet
England and Argentina end their 2023 Rugby World Cup odyssey as they began it by facing one another in Friday’s bronze medal match.
It’s been nearly seven weeks since George Ford kicked England to a 27-10 triumph over the Pumas on day two of the tournament, a result which breathed life into what had been a bereft Red Rose team.
England built on that result, defying the pre-tournament Rugby World Cup odds and expectations to reach the semi-finals.
Ultimately, they would come up agonisingly short of a return trip to the final against South Africa, who trailed for 77 minutes but would break English heart’s late on for the second World Cup in a row.
A week on from that one-point loss, England are hoping to wrap up what’s been an overly positive campaign by winning the game no one wants to be part of at the start of the tournament.
Both sides will be saying farewell to some big names after Friday’s encounter at the Stade de France, with several Argentina stalwarts expected to move on.
Neither side will want to see some big characters leave on the back of a defeat with new UK betting sites making England warm favourites for what is a treacherous fixture from a betting view point.
England out to make fast start
Having found some momentum in France following a difficult start to his tenure, England coach Steve Borthwick will be eager to see his team stack up another win against a team they comfortably brushed aside in the pool stage.
Argentina produced one of their worst performances under Michael Cheika in Marseille, barely troubling an England team that played with 14 men from the fourth minute after Tom Curry’s red card.
They bounced back to finish runners-up to England in Pool D before seeing off Wales in the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, performances levels dipped again as they shipped seven tries in a lopsided semi-final defeat to New Zealand.
Argentina’s inconsistency has been maddening and although they have a chance to match their best-ever finish at a World Cup by taking home the bronze medal, more was expected of the Pumas.
Cheika, who will leave his role after the World Cup, has stuck largely with the side that disappointed against the All Blacks, making just three changes, with departing veterans Agustin Creevy and Nicolas Sanchez on the bench.
The replacements have brought something to what has been a slow-starting Argentina team when introduced and their presence could be felt in what is expected to be a closer contest against England than their last meeting.
England have made eight changes for only their second third-place play-off with Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell and the retiring Ben Youngs notable inclusions to the backs, while Borthwick has selected a whole new front row.
That’s a lot of alterations to what has been a well-drilled England team but they are facing a shell-shocked Argentina side that looked ready to go home after their mauling by New Zealand.
Despite the questionable motivation levels for what is a glorified friendly, bookmakers have tended to price this game up correctly.
Argentina’s win over France in 2007 is a rare example of an underdog victory in the bronze medal game, and England can lay the foundations to justify their favouritism in the first half.
England have led by at least four points at the break in five of their six Rugby World Cup games, while Argentina have gone into the sheds at half-time trailing in half of their games, including both knockout ties.
Tip: England -3 1st half handicap – 10/11 with BoyleSports
Pumas’ points hard to come by
Argentina managed just six points in the semi-final loss to New Zealand, despite getting into the All Blacks 22 on several occasions, and that lack of a clinical edge has been one consistent theme to their game.
The South Americans averaged 0.67 points from nine entries into the 22, demonstrating a lack of guile against a well-drilled defence.
England should be equally as difficult to break down having only given up more than 20 points once in this tournament.
Argentina have passed the 20-point threshold three times in France, but one of those occasions was against minnows Chile, while they scored 10 points late on to put some gloss on the 29-17 win over Wales in the quarter-finals.
And while the bronze medal match is supposed to be an opportunity for teams to play with a bit more freedom, the last eight defeated sides haven’t scored more than 18 points.
Tip: Under 19.5 total Argentina points – 10/11 with William Hill
Dan the man for England
England’s new-look front row features the man anointed to replace Jamie George as the national side’s hooker going forward in Theo Dan, who has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence.
The 22-year-old was on loan at Ampthill last season before being recalled by Saracens, where he forced his way into the Sarries first-team and then the England squad.
Dan will make his third start for the Red Rose on Friday and is a strong option at 2/1 with bet365 to score a try after grabbing a brace against Chile in the pool stage.
England haven’t been the most expansive side in this tournament and will look to exert their will over an Argentina pack that’s not as formidable as previous iterations.
In damp conditions, expect England to play a safe, close quarters game, prioritising opportunities for Dan and the rest of the pack to punch his way over from minimal range or off a line out.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
