Feyi‑Waboso lifts England in Argentina win but yellow‑card problem endures
England edged Argentina 31-24 on Saturday, a high-scoring Test that showcased Manny Feyi‑Waboso’s return to form while prompting frank assessment from fly‑half Fin Smith. Despite the victory, the match underlined a persistent discipline issue after England picked up a stream of yellow cards.
The match produced eight tries and finished with a narrow margin, giving England consecutive Test wins for the first time since November. Feyi‑Waboso’s influence was widely noted as a significant positive for the visitors, but concerns over penalties and cards remained hard to ignore. Their tally of disciplinary sanctions increased again, raising questions about consistency at key moments during a long and draining season.
Smith offered the clearest appraisal among the England contingent, cutting through the usual post‑match deflections to identify ongoing shortcomings. He assessed the situation with notable directness and, at the end of a long, draining season, his view is that England are still frustratingly short of where they need to be. That unvarnished verdict felt especially pertinent after a game that contained both encouraging signs and familiar frustrations.
On the scoreboard, the 31-24 result reflected a contest packed with attacking intent and fine margins. Eight tries in total made for an entertaining encounter, while the finish was among the tightest of the summer fixtures. For England, the win represents a small but tangible run of form, with back‑to‑back Test victories breaking a sequence that had not produced successive wins since November.
Manny Feyi‑Waboso’s performance drew particular praise and has been framed as a major positive for England’s prospects. His presence and impact offered clear evidence of game‑changing quality, helping to tip a closely fought match in England’s favour. Yet the uplift he provided did not mask the team’s recurring disciplinary lapses.
England conceded four more yellow cards in the match, a further increase that has taken their overall count to 14 in 10 games. That string of cautions has been a persistent theme across recent fixtures and remained an unavoidable talking point after this latest Test. The frequency of cards has shaped match dynamics and placed additional pressure on England at critical junctures.
The victory over Argentina offers reasons for guarded optimism, chiefly the return to form of a player of Feyi‑Waboso’s calibre and a rare sequence of consecutive wins. At the same time, Smith’s unflinching assessment and the continuation of a poor discipline record underscore that there is still work to do before England can be judged consistently reliable at Test level.