Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi stormed out of his post-match press conference after accusing England of showing a "lack of respect" following their dramatic 31-24 victory in Santiago del Estero. The incident occurred just minutes after Argentina were denied an injury-time try that would have earned them a draw.
Contepomi walks out over England celebrations
Contepomi was conducting his media duties when loud music and celebrations could be heard coming from England's dressing room next door. The former Pumas fly-half asked England officials present in the media room if the noise could be stopped, but after becoming increasingly frustrated, he abruptly ended the press conference after just four minutes. According to reports, Contepomi walked out saying he was leaving because of the "lack of respect" being shown by England.
The dramatic scenes came shortly after Argentina's Bautista Delguy appeared to have scored in the third minute of added time, only for television match official Brett Cronan to rule out the effort after Henry Slade's outstanding last-ditch tackle forced the winger into touch before grounding the ball.
England survive late scare
England had looked comfortable after opening up a 19-3 half-time lead but were made to work for victory as Argentina launched two second-half fightbacks. Despite being reduced to 13 players on four separate occasions after yellow cards for Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Coles, Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun, England held on to secure the win.
Steve Borthwick's side completed a successful July tour by edging out the Pumas in a chaotic Nations Championship encounter. Borthwick was full of praise for his players after the match, singling out Slade's crucial intervention. "I'm delighted for the players," he said. "They showed incredible spirit, led brilliantly by Jamie George. Matches between England and Argentina, whatever the sport, seem to end up being very tight late on and full of drama. It's almost unfair to pull out one example but Henry Slade's tackle at the end was incredible. It shows the fight that's in this group of players, as well as their togetherness and connection."
England's discipline questioned
England's disciplinary record was again thrust into the spotlight after accumulating four yellow cards during the contest, taking their tally to 14 yellow cards and one red card across their last eight Test matches. But Borthwick bristled when questioned about his side's discipline. "I don't think now is the time to be digging into that," he said. "This team has done really, really well. It was a tough Test match, a fantastic Test match, we scored some wonderful tries and as ever you guys concentrate on the negativity. You're like the negativity committee so it's lovely coming and talking to you again."
The England head coach also said his squad deserved to celebrate after completing their summer campaign. "Right now these players deserve a fantastic holiday, a good night out tonight and a good rest," he added. "They've worked hard and it's been a season that's been going a while. We all know about the number of minutes the English players play and these guys have stuck it right to the very end."
