Former scrum-half Matt Dawson criticized England's discipline as "verging on comical" following their 31-24 victory over Argentina on October 7, 2026. The match, held in Santiago del Estero, saw England receive four yellow cards in the second half, reducing them to 13 players twice, including during the final minutes as Argentina sought to close a 14-point gap.

The hosts faced a setback when Bautista Delguy's 83rd-minute try was controversially disallowed after the television match official determined that Henry Slade's tackle had forced Delguy into touch.

With this win, England climbed to third place in the Northern Hemisphere standings of the 2026 Nations Championship, following a previous 73-8 victory over Fiji that ended a five-match losing streak.

Dawson defended under-pressure head coach Steve Borthwick, emphasizing the team’s "definite progress" this month despite ongoing issues with discipline. England has accumulated 14 yellow cards and one red card over eight matches this year, with only one game (against Fiji) free of sin-binnings. Poor discipline contributed to their disappointing fifth-place finish in the Six Nations, raising concerns about Borthwick's future.

Dawson remarked, "It's been a hellishly tough two weeks for England," referencing their struggles in a recent match against South Africa. While he acknowledged progress, he questioned the team's discipline, stating, "It's ridiculous how many cards this team has had so far in 2026."

In response, Borthwick defended his team, asserting, "This team has done really, really well," and criticized media focus on negativity, expressing pride in the performance despite the discipline issues.