"Lost the Last Meeting" England's Records Against Each Pool Stage Opponent at Rugby World Cup

Following their historic first ever defeat to Fiji, England have dropped down to eighth in the official World Rugby rankings. England have only sunken this low once before, after they became the first host nation to be eliminated in the Rugby World Cup pool stages, back in 2015.

With just three wins in nine matches since taking over, the Steve Borthwick era has been less than smooth sailing for England. Argentina will prove a tough test, as Los Pumas are flying high with Head Coach Michael Cheika at the helm. The former Wallabies coach has taken Argentina to sixth in the World Rugby rankings, and put out a statement of intent, with a victory over Australia in the 2023 Rugby Championship.

After England battle it out against Argentina, their remaining Pool D opponents make up a fixture list of Japan, Chile and Samoa. Here are England's track records against each of their upcoming Rugby World Cup pool stage opponents.

The oldest rivals for Steve Borthwick's men in Pool D, Los Pumas and England have met 25 times throughout their history, with England's predominantly successful track record dating back to 1981. England have won 19 of the encounters, with Argentina securing five wins and the spoils shared with just one draw.

Bizarrely, the only draw between these two nations took place in the first official fixture. On the opening match of the 1981 England tour to Argentina, what was then Mike Davis' side drew 19-19 with the hosts in Buenos Aires, before winning the second test to claim the series victory. The two sides have previously met three times in the Rugby World Cup pool stages, with England securing the wins in 1995, 2011 and as recently as just four years ago in Japan.

The middle match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup is the best remembered fixture of the trio, as Argentina led 9-6 with little over 10 minutes left on the clock, down in New Zealand. However, England were able to secure a late winning try through Ben Youngs, as England's most-capped player marked his Rugby World Cup debut in emphatic style.

It will be Argentina who are riding a wave of momentum into next Saturday's game, as Los Pumas won the most recent meeting between the two sides. In what was a decisive blow in the downfall of Eddie Jones as England Head Coach, Argentina secured a dramatic 30-29 victory at Twickenham, during the 2022 Autumn Nations Series.

Argentina's Emiliano Boffelli contributed a try, and kicked 20 points to build Los Pumas' tally at 'HQ'. Gloucester fly half Santiago Carreras added a try of his own towards the win, in what was Argentina's first triumph at Twickenham since 2006. This ended England's dominance over Los Pumas which stretched back to 2009, with Cheika's side holding the bragging rights ahead of the upcoming clash in the South of France.

JAPAN (vs England - September 17th, Nice, 20:00 KO)

England and Japan have only met in three international test matches, with England achieving victory in each encounter. The two sides have only clashed once at the Rugby World Cup, with the meeting taking place at the inaugural competition in 1987. Martin Green's men ran out a resounding win over the Brave Blossoms, for a landslide 60-7 England win during the pool stages.

There was a 31-year wait for the second meeting between the two, when Japan made their Twickenham debut during the 2018 Autumn Internationals. Over 81,000 fans packed themselves in to witness the hosts of the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup in action, and Japan provided an early scare by taking an 18-10 lead into half-time.

However, England were able to battle back for a 35-15 win, with former Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones knowing his old side's upset capabilities all too well. Jones took charge of the Brave Blossoms for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and orchestrated the now immortalised 'Brighton Miracle' victory over South Africa.

The third and most recent encounter between England and Japan came in last year's Autumn Internationals. After an impressive outing against the All Blacks (38-31 defeat), Japan arrived at Twickenham full of fire and ready to make another statement. However, England extinguished the threat, as seven tries established an unobtainable lead, for a 52-13 win.

England and Japan both enter the Rugby World Cup with just one win throughout their Summer campaigns. Both sides suffered defeats to Fiji, with Samoa and Italy also recording wins over Japan. Based on current form, this fixture in match day two could honestly go either way, yet when the quality of players is taken into account, Borthwick's men have the advantage and should secure a fourth consecutive win over the men from the Far East.

CHILE (vs England - September 23rd, Lille 16:45 KO)

An anomaly in the modern game, there are very few first-time meetings between international opponents. However, the 2023 Rugby World Cup will generate one such encounter, as England take on Chile for the very first time in their respective histories. Los Condores are embarking on their maiden voyage to the Rugby World Cup, after securing qualification with historic victories over Canada and the USA.

The Rugby World Cup debutants have nothing to lose, and such low expectations can often benefit a side's performance. Chile can through caution to the wind, and bring the exciting and dynamic approach customary to South American nations, such as the aforementioned Argentina or Uruguay.

Any Rugby World Cup newcomer brings an added spark of the unknown to the competition. A fresh face in a crowded sea of international rugby’s biggest stars, Chile are the 22nd ranked side in the World Rugby rankings. They enter their first Rugby World Cup ranked lower than two sides who failed to qualify for the tournament (USA – #18, Spain – #20) .

Chile’s Head Coach is former Uruguay prop Pablo Lemoine, who has previously taken coaching roles with his country, as well as with the German national side. Lemoine’s on-field career saw him represent Bristol, before spending the majority of his career in France with Stade Francais, Montauban and Avenir Valencien.

Chile were last in the World Rugby spotlight, when fly half Rodrigo Fernandez received the award for Men’s Try of the Year. His phenomenal solo try against the United States was crucial in securing Chile their Rugby World Cup spot, and he did so in the most torrential conditions.

England and Samoa have met on eight occasions throughout their shared history, with England able to secure the win 100% of the time. England's recent shock defeat to Fiji was the first time that a Pacific Island side had beaten them, with Samoa eager to follow in the Fijian footsteps, as they wrap up the action for their final match in Pool D.

The two sides have met at the Rugby World Cup on three occasions, with Samoa coincidentally scoring 22 points in each encounter. The first recorded match between the two nations dates back to the 1995 Rugby World Cup pool stages.

The 44-22 England win against Western Samoa, featured tries from Rory Underwood and Neil Back, as well as a nicely struck drop goal from Mike Catt. The two sides had a re-match later that year, when Samoa went on a December '95 tour with matches against the Springboks, England and Scotland. Manu Samoa drew 15-15 with Scotland, but then suffered a defeat as they travelled down South of the border, as England ran out 29-7 winners.

Samoa provided an beatable roadblock in England's path to Rugby World Cup glory, when they met in the pool stage of their 2003 coronation year. The eventual world champions saw off Samoa in Melbourne, with a 35-22 margin of victory.

The most recent Rugby World Cup meeting saw England and Samoa re-ignite their rivalry in the pool stages of the 2007 competition. After a poor start to their campaign with a 36-0 loss to South Africa, the soon-to-be finalists racked up a 44-22 win against the Pacific Islanders, to put their campaign back on the right track.