History of rugby union matches between Argentina and England
The national rugby union teams of England and Argentina (Los Pumas) have been playing each other since 1978. The status of the first match is ambiguous, as Argentina awarded Test caps to its players but England did not (England sent a representative "England XV", not the 1st XV).
They have met in 27 matches recognised by both sides as Tests. The first match was on 30 May 1981 and was a 19–19 draw. The second match of the 2 Test series was played on 6 June 1981 and was won by England 12-6. The 1982 Falklands War between Britain and Argentina meant that their next encounter did not take place until 1990.
Excluding the ambiguous 1978 game, Argentina have played England 27 times with England winning 21, Argentina 5 with 1 drawn.
The rugby rivalry between the two countries is not known for being as intense as their football rivalry.
Summary
Overall
| Details | Played | Won by Argentina |
Won by England |
Drawn | Argentina points | England points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Argentina | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 235 | 332 |
| In England | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 131 | 269 |
| Neutral venue | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 70 | 129 |
| Overall | 27 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 436 | 730 |
Records
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was last set.
| Record | Argentina | England |
|---|---|---|
| Longest winning streak | 1 (6 November 2022 – 9 September 2023) | 10 (14 November 2009 – 6 November 2022) |
| Largest points for | ||
| Home | 34 (10 June 2017) | 51 (3 November 1990) |
| Away | 30 (6 November 2022) | 51 (15 June 2013) |
| Largest winning margin | ||
| Home | 20 (7 June 1997) | 51 (3 November 1990) |
| Away | 7 (11 November 2006) | 29 (8 June 2013; 5 October 2019) |
Results
| No. | Date | Venue | Score | Winner | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 May 1981 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires
|
19–19 | draw | 1981 England tour of Argentina | |
| 2 | 6 June 1981 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires | 6–12 |  England
|
||
| 3 | 28 July 1990 | José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires | 12–25 | England
|
1990 England tour of Argentina | |
| 4 | 4 August 1990 | José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires | 15–13 |  Argentina
|
||
| 5 | 3 November 1990 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 51–0 | England
|
1990 Argentina tour of Great Britain and Ireland | |
| 6 | 27 May 1995 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban (South Africa) | 24–18 | England
|
1995 Rugby World Cup | |
| 7 | 14 December 1996 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 20–18 | England
|
1996 Argentina tour of England | |
| 8 | 31 May 1997 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires | 20–46 | England
|
1997 England tour of Argentina and Australia | |
| 9 | 7 June 1997 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires | 33–13 | Argentina
|
||
| 10 | 25 November 2000 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 19–0 | England
|
2000 end-of-year rugby union internationals | |
| 11 | 22 June 2002 | José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires | 18–26 | England
|
2002 England tour of Argentina | [1] |
| 12 | 11 November 2006 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 18–25 | Argentina
|
2006 end-of-year rugby union internationals | [2] |
| 13 | 6 June 2009 | Old Trafford, Manchester | 37–15 | England
|
2009 June rugby union tests | [3] |
| 14 | 13 June 2009 | Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta | 24–22 | Argentina
|
[4] | |
| 15 | 14 November 2009 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 16–9 | England
|
2009 end-of-year rugby union internationals | [5] |
| 16 | 10 September 2011 | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin (New Zealand) | 13–9 | England
|
2011 Rugby World Cup | |
| 17 | 8 June 2013 | Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta | 3–32 | England
|
2013 England tour of Argentina and Uruguay | |
| 18 | 15 June 2013 | José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires | 26–51 | England
|
||
| 19 | 9 November 2013 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 31–12 | England
|
2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals | [6] |
| 20 | 26 November 2016 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 27–14 | England
|
2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals | |
| 21 | 10 June 2017 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan | 34–38 | England
|
2017 England tour of Argentina | [7] |
| 22 | 17 June 2017 | Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, Santa Fe | 25–35 | England
|
[8] | |
| 23 | 11 November 2017 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 21–8 | England
|
2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals | |
| 24 | 5 October 2019 | Chōfu (Japan )
|
39–10 | England
|
2019 Rugby World Cup | |
| 25 | 6 November 2022 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 29–30 | Argentina
|
2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals | |
| 26 | 9 September 2023 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (France) | 27–10 | England
|
2023 Rugby World Cup | [9] |
| 27 | 27 October 2023 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis (France) | 23–26 | England
|
[10] | |
| 28 | 5 July 2025 | Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, Buenos Aires | TBD | 2025 mid-year rugby union tests | ||
| 29 | 12 July 2025 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan | ||||
| 30 | 23 November 2025 | Twickenham Stadium, London | 2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals |
Non-test results
Below is a list of matches that Argentina has awarded matches test match status by virtue of awarding caps, but England did not.
| Date | Venue | Score | Winner | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 October 1978[a] | Twickenham Stadium, London | 13–13 | draw | 1978 Argentina tour of Great Britain, Ireland and Italy |
| 17 June 2002 | Buenos Aires CRC Field, Los Polvorines | 29–24 | Argentina XV
|
2002 England tour of Argentina |
List of series
| Played | Won by Argentina |
Won by England |
Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Year | Argentina | England | Series winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981
|
0 | 1 | England
|
| 1990
|
1 | 1 | draw |
| 1997
|
1 | 1 | draw |
| 2002
|
0 | 1 | England
|
| 2009
|
1 | 1 | draw |
| 2013
|
0 | 2 | England
|
| 2017
|
0 | 2 | England
|
Notes
- ^ Not classed as a full international by England who played as an England XV, 12 players from the XV played against the All Blacks one month later.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "England Tour – Buenos Aires, 22 June 2002". ESPNscrum. ESPN.
- ^ "England 18-25 Argentina". BBC Sport. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "England 37-15 Argentina". BBC Sport. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Argentina 24–22 England". BBC Sport. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "England 16-9 Argentina". BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "England beat Argentina at home ahead of All Blacks test". BBC Sport. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "England beat Argentina thanks to Denny Solomona's late try". BBC Sport. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ Laybourn, Ian (17 June 2017). "England beat Argentina to complete 2-0 rugby Test series victory in eighth successive win over the Pumas". The Independent.
- ^ "England 27-10 Argentina: George Ford kicks England to remarkable Rugby World Cup win despite Tom Curry red card". Sky Sports. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Earl and Dan edge England to victory over Argentina in bronze final". The Guardian. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2025.