Los Pumas Roared for Messi — Then Turned Their Focus to England’s Rugby Team
Los Pumas England Nations Championship 2026 is the rugby sequel to the most extraordinary week in Argentine sporting history. According to World Rugby, Argentina remain one of the sport’s most compelling stories.
Gathered in their team hotel, preparing for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against England, Argentina’s rugby squad erupted as their football counterparts pulled off one of the great World Cup comebacks. Enzo Fernández equalised. Lautaro Martínez won it in stoppage time. And the Pumas — grown men who have faced the All Blacks and the Springboks — shouted with everything they had.
“Gritaron con el alma.” They shouted with their souls.
A Week Unlike Any Other
In the space of four days, Argentina have beaten England twice — or at least half of that sentence is true. The football team did their part on Wednesday night in Atlanta, winning 2–1 to reach the World Cup final.
Now it’s the rugby team’s turn.
Los Pumas face England on Saturday in Santiago del Estero in the Nations Championship 2026, and the mood inside the Argentine camp could not be better. There is nothing like a football World Cup victory over England to sharpen a rugby team’s motivation.
England’s Selection Headache: The Pollock Question
While Los Pumas were celebrating in their hotel, England coach Steve Borthwick was facing a very different kind of pressure — a selection debate that has divided English rugby’s establishment.
Henry Pollock, the 21-year-old Northampton flanker, scored a hat-trick in just 15 minutes against Fiji and immediately became the most talked-about player in English rugby. Now, with 12 caps and six tries to his name, the rugby world wants him in the starting XV.
The legends have spoken:
- Chris Ashton: “Stop going in circles and put him in as a starter.”
- Ben Youngs: “Just have him play from the beginning, please!”
- Jeremy Guscott has also publicly backed Pollock for a starting role.
Pollock himself is clear about his ambitions. “One of the things I want most right now is to get the starting shirt,” he said. Coach Borthwick told him to play naturally before his Fiji appearance — and he did exactly that.
Whether Pollock starts or comes off the bench, he will be one of England’s most dangerous weapons on Saturday. Los Pumas have been warned.
The Stakes on Saturday
For Argentina, this match is about momentum. After losing their Nations Championship opener 47–38 to Scotland on July 4, Los Pumas bounced back convincingly with a 35–21 win over Wales. A victory over England would send a clear message: this Argentina side is building toward something serious.
For England, a loss to Argentina in rugby — three days after losing to them in football — would make for a very long weekend in the English press.
Santiago del Estero. Saturday. The rugby version of the rivalry resumes.
Argentina’s pack has been one of the most improved in world rugby over the past two seasons. The set piece — scrum and lineout — that defined Los Pumas for decades remains a weapon, but Felipe Contepomi’s side has added genuine pace and creativity in the backs. Santiago Carreras at fullback, currently one of Bath’s standout performers in the English Premiership, will be central to everything Argentina want to do with ball in hand on Saturday.
And Los Pumas are already warmed up.
