EDDIE JONES got taken to school by his old mate Michael Cheika as England collapsed to their first defeat by Argentina at Twickenham since 2006.
Jones’ mood will be as black as England’s new change strip after his side were outclassed by the Pumas.
ReutersEmiliano Boffelli produced the goods with 25 points for Argentina[/caption]
AFPEngland were unable to open up a lead of note[/caption]
Argentina had not beaten England anywhere since 2009, in Salta, and that defeat 16 years ago at HQ ended up with boss Andy Robinson out of his job.
Jones will be safe but he must be wondering how his side got so badly beaten by a side whose boss has been coaching the Lebanon rugby league team for half the week.
England had no penetration, gave away penalties in kickable positions and needed 21-year-old scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet to wake them up.
Van Poortvliet scored 29 seconds after coming on in the second half and looked like he was dragging the older heads with him.
READ MORE ON RUGBY UNION
But Edinburgh wing Emiliano Boffelli kicked seven out of eight and scored a try for a 25-point haul to punish Jones’ men.
Owen Farrell, in his first game back as skipper, kicked seven from seven but could not get his side over the line and his midfield combination with Manu Tuilagi and Marcus Smith hardly fired a shot.
In biblical rain, Argentina had manned the barricades and England hit a blue and white brick wall for most of the first half and they got their rewards later in the game.
Boffelli kicked four penalties before the break and every time England got in front, through Farrell’s boot, they made a dumb error and handed points back.
Most read in Rugby Union
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
New boy Alex Coles dropped two kick-offs, the England back line went dozily offside off one scrum and Tom Curry got done for hands in the ruck.
England led 16-12 at the break, thanks to Cokanasiga’s try when he came off his wing after Billy Vunipola had picked up at a scrum and piled over from Ben Youngs’ pass.
But Argentina came alive in the 47th minute with the sun finally out and their opening try was all too easy.
They won a line out, fly-half Santiago Carreras looped round his backs and put Boffelli in in the corner.
It was simple stuff and England looked clueless.
Then Owen Farrell’s pass to Vunipola hit the deck, Carreras sprinted in from 60 metres and England were flapping like one of the flags on top of the East Stand.
Van Poortvliet got England going, picking up from a ruck and running in from 35m but Luke Cowan-Dickie handed three points, and the lead back, after a dangerous tackle.
Farrell and Boffelli swapped three-pointers and Argentina held on.
ENGLAND Tries: Cokanasiga, Van Poortvliet; Cons: Farrell (2); Pens: Farrell (5)
ARGENTINA Tries: Boffelli, S.Carreras; Con: Boffelli; Pens: Boffelli (6)
EPABoffelli was clinical with his boot[/caption]
PAThe lead switched sides throughout the match[/caption]
PAJack van Poortvliet provided a much-needed injection of energy[/caption]
PAEddie Jones will be looking for an immediate reaction against Japan[/caption]
APThis was the Pumas’ first win at Twickenham since 2006[/caption]
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY…The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.