England head coach Steve Borthwick hailed the "incredible spirit" his side showed to claim a dramatic 31-24 victory over Argentina in the Nations Championship.

It was an ill-tempered match at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, with Argentina players wearing replica shirts inspired by Diego Maradona's iconic 1986 World Cup kit, following England's World Cup semi-final loss in the football on Wednesday.

But England made a strong start to the match, with Tommy Freeman getting an early try before Ben Earl got a double to silence the home faithful.

Borthwick's side held a 16-point lead at half-time, but Argentina launched into a comeback after the break, with Mateo Carreras' score and a penalty try slashing the deficit.

England were reduced to 13 men, with Alex Coles and Jack van Poortvliet in the sin bin, but their poor discipline did not look likely to affect them after Marcus Smith and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who scored a stunning solo finish, both crossed.

Further yellow cards for Henry Pollock and Emmanuel Iyogun saw them finish the game down two men, and Argentina looked set to salvage an unlikely draw after Justo Piccardo's 80th-minute score.

Bautista Delguy crossed with the clock four minutes into the red, but a dramatic TMO intervention ruled him in touch, coming to England's rescue in the dying seconds.

"I'm delighted for the players. They showed incredible spirit, led brilliantly by Jamie George," Borthwick said.

"Matches between England and Argentina, whatever the sport, seem to end up being very tight late on and full of drama.

Victory in Santiago del Estero

A winning finish to England's 2026 Nations Championship away leg. pic.twitter.com/YJxFipp8PL

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 18, 2026

"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.

"Right now, these players deserve a fantastic holiday, a good night out and a good rest. 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."

England have now won each of their last six matches on Argentinian soil, but it was England's discipline that was called into question after four players were sin-binned in the second half.

It means they have now received 14 yellow cards in their last eight Tests, but Borthwick does not believe that is a cause for concern.

"I don't think now is the time to be digging into that," Borthwick said when asked about it.

"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."

England finished the Southern Series of the Nations Championship with two consecutive wins, while Argentina only managed one win across the first three games.