Rugby World Cup: England overcome Argentina to win bronze-medal match

England finished the World Cup with six wins from seven games

England finished their Rugby World Cup campaign with a victory as they narrowly overcame a strong Argentina performance in the third-place play-off in Paris, and win the bronze medal.

It is the first time England - winners in 2003 and runners-up in 1991, 2007 and 2019 - have occupied third place in the Rugby World Cup.

England's only previous appearance in the bronze-medal match - against France in 1995 - ended in a 19-9 defeat.

It ensures England's most-capped male player Ben Youngs bows out with a medal after 127 Tests, even if it was not the colour he would have wanted before the tournament.

Ben Youngs thanked England's fans after collecting his medal

England made a fast start as Ben Earl slid over to give them an early 13-0 lead, but Argentina clawed their way back and were briefly ahead through Tomas Cubelli and Santiago Carreras tries, before England's Theo Dan charged down a kick and crossed the line for a try.

Owen Farrell's boot kept England in front as he exchanged penalties with Nicolas Sanchez in a nervy finale.

Argentina launched a late assault on England's line but Sanchez kicked a penalty wide that would have tied the scores, allowing Steve Borthwick's side to finish France 2023 with a win.

After seeming set to stroll to victory early on, there was heartfelt relief among England's players as the final whistle blew.

It means England's campaign ends as it began. Seven weeks ago, they overcame the Pumas 27-10 in Marseille.

Santiago Carreras crossed early in the second half as Argentina made England sweat on victory

Several of England's young players pressed their cases for future inclusion, with hooker Theo Dan impressing with his energy and appetite for work, while Marcus Smith was enterprising in attack.

England head coach, Steve Borthwick, paid tribute to the campaign, but is also already looking forward to the future:

"I'm delighted for the players, who have worked so hard," he said.

"We won six games out of seven and lost one game by one point to the world champions, which shows the progress of the team."

He added: "I've already started looking forward to the Six Nations in my mind.

"The age profile of the squad - there are always players who decide their time has come to an end at the World Cup - is strong. I think there's excitement about those players.

"We know there are areas we are thinner than others and I need to work to find some depth in those positions."

Are you an England fan? What did you think of England's World Cup? Let us know in the comments...