Slade seals clean sweep for England but ill-tempered finale sours nervy victory

Up on the scoreboard England have ended their autumn firmly in credit. A first four-Test autumn clean sweep at Twickenham since 2016, a total of 17 tries scored and a winning run that now stretches to 11 Tests. By the time the 2026 Six Nations comes around those will be the primary facts when Steve Borthwick's team regather with the aim of pushing further onwards and upwards.

- Robert Kitson

Their final game of the year, though, was a curate's egg with a distinctly sour aftertaste. An angry Felipe Contepomi, the Pumas' head coach, alleged afterwards he had been shoved and sworn at by Tom Curry in a post-match scuffle in the tunnel and complained the Sale flanker had been guilty of a "reckless" tackle that led to his fullback Juan Cruz Mallía suffering a serious knee injury and reduced Argentina to 14 men late on.

Contepomi even used the word "bully" in his post-match press conference and his tirade ended up eclipsing many of the finer details of the contest itself. It is rare to hear a leading Test coach being as searingly forthright after a match these days, although England declined to throw further fuel on the intensifying diplomatic flames. Borthwick, instead, responded by describing his player's character as "impeccable".

On the pitch, however, England could hardly have complained had the Pumas nicked victory in the closing moments. At 17-0 up in the first half there appeared to be only one winner but by the end the hosts were clinging on desperately and in danger of surrendering their dignity. They were ultimately indebted to 12 points from the boot of George Ford and a promising first home start by Max Ojomoh, who scored a sharp early try and also provided assists for further scores by the Exeter duo of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Slade.