England and Argentina are back to square one as they meet in the Bronze final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France on Friday.
The pair reunite for a place on the podium, in one of the more dubious tournament-ending matches, at the Stade de France.
Then it’s all about the final 24 hours later, when South Africa’s Springboks look to make it back-to-back global titles as they tackle the New Zealand All Blacks in a blockbuster showdown.
Argentina vs England
The bronze final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Friday gives England and Argentina the opportunity to end a marathon tournament on a high in Paris.
It’s a Stade de France showdown for the pair, who met all the way back in their first group game.
Few would have bet on a reunion off the evidence of that game, where the Red Rose overcame a third-minute red card to Tom Curry to cruise to victory thanks chiefly to the boot of George Ford.
But there was heartache to follow at the semi-final stage, having both made it successfully out of Pool D at the expense of Japan, Samoa and Chile.
Steve Borthwick and his English troops have spent a week licking their wounds after pushing reigning World Cup champions South Africa all the way in their last four contest.
Leading for the majority of an absorbing match, only a late Handre Pollard penalty kick ensured a final berth for the Springboks.
Los Pumas, by stark contrast, were completely outclassed by New Zealand 24 hours earlier in the French capital.
Coach Michael Cheika makes three changes from that side for their competition finale.
Pedro Rubiolo comes into the locks to replace Tomas Lavanini, while scrum-half Tomás Cubelli comes in for Gonzalo Bertranou.
Jeronimo de la Fuente is the other fresh face for the South Americans, installed in the centres.
Eight English changes include five in their forwards, although Curry emerges from a chastening week following his on-field incident with Bongi Mbonambi to notch his 50th international cap.
Veteran Ben Youngs bows out of the international game with his first start of the tournament, while Ellis Genge, Theo Dan and Will Stuart form the new-look front row.
Argentina Starting XV: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruno, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicholas Sanchez, 23 Matias Moroni.
England Starting XV: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Freddie Steward, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 Owen Farrell (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Dan Cole, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Lawrence.
RWC 2023: Argentina vs England prediction and kick off time
| Team 1 | Win % 1 | Win % 2 | Team 2 | Predicted margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 40.4% | 59.6% | England | -3 |
Kick Off Time: 21.00 on Friday 27 October 2023.