Fernando Romero Nuñez 
Argentina’s men’s national rugby team will face off against England in the rugby World Cup Third Place match this Friday. The Pumas, led by Australian coach Michael Cheika will look to repeat its best ever result, the historic bronze medal achieved in 2007.
The Pumas will also be out to revenge their 27-10 defeat against England in their World Cup opener at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome back in September. The match enlarged Argentina’s uphill head-to-head tally against England, where it trails 22 to 5, losing in all four of their World Cup clashes.
After its harsh 44-6 defeat against New Zealand’s All Black in the semifinals, the Pumas will present three changes to the starting team. Scrum half Tomás Cubelli returns to the lineup in place of Gonzalo Bertranou, while winger Jerónimo De la Fuente will replace Santiago Chocobares. Among the forwards, lock Pedro Rubiolo will start replacing Tomás Lavanini.
Los 𝟮𝟯 que irán en busca del 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 🇦🇷
— Los Pumas (@lospumas) October 25, 2023
📆 Viernes 27/10
⏰ 16:00 h
🆚 Inglaterra 🏴
📍 París
📺 @ESPNArgentina / TV Pública#SomosLosPumas pic.twitter.com/XMk2KhwM6p
The England national team will present a very different lineup. Coach Steve Borthwick decided to make eight changes from the team that lost in the semifinals against the current world champion, South Africa, by 16-15. Captain Owen Farrell, who missed England’s debut due to a two-game suspension, will be present.
“It will be an experience for everyone in the group,” said Cheika in the press conference before the game. “It’s a good thing for the future and legacy of the players who are more experienced. Finishing as high as we could was always the goal. Now we can’t finish first or second. Third is the best, and we want to go for it.”
The match will be played at the Stade de France. The referee will be Nick Berry from Australia, and it is set to kick off at 4 p.m. Argentina time.
The live broadcast can be seen on Argentina’s national public broadcaster, TV Pública, or through cable sports channel ESPN. It can also be streamed online on the digital platforms Star+, Cont.ar, Flow, DGO, and Telecentro Play.
