England completed their first autumnal clean sweep since 2021 and collected their 11th win on the trot on a freezing Sunday at Twickenham against Argentina, but mark this down as a match they had to grind out. They were made to work and scrap right until the last as Argentina threatened to snatch the match at the death, only for England to end up edging this 27-23.
Tempers boiled over afterwards, but once that adrenaline abated, England could smile knowing they had secured a perfect autumn. Phew.
After the remarkable performance we saw from England last weekend against the All Blacks, this was a completely different occasion. This was an arm wrestle of a match, where it seemed like the ball spent as much time in the air as it did in hands. It was a match littered with errors and penalties, but England will care not a jot.
They knew the importance of backing up their win over the All Blacks with a victory against the dangerous Pumas to make it a perfect November. It was as much a psychological challenge as it was physical. And they delivered, with a much-changed team, a different gameplan and a quiet, burgeoning confidence which will see them heading into the Six Nations charged with finishing it as champions.
Over the past four weekends, England have tapped into a winning mentality, fine-tuned the impact of the "pom squad" off the bench, and mined further depth within their squad. There are few guaranteed starters now, which is exactly the headache Steve Borthwick would want at this stage of a World Cup cycle.
Take Max Ojomoh: he only found out he was starting this match on Friday after Fraser Dingwall's withdrawal. He lined up for his second cap alongside Henry Slade, who was making his first appearance of the autumn. Two centres brought in from the cold -- two players who played key roles in this triumph, Ojomoh looking like a Test veteran.
It was a scrappy start, with both teams finding their feet in the scrum, figuring out what the referee wanted, but it was a break from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso which set up the familiar platform for a George Ford drop-goal.
A couple of minutes later, Ben Spencer hoisted a box kick into the air, Feyi-Waboso contested it, the ball went loose, and Ojomoh hoovered up the crumbs to dart under the posts. Feyi-Waboso added another in the 25th minute, cantering in off a perfectly-judged Ojomoh crosskick and all was well.
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England had a further chance to put this match to bed late in the first half but Luke Cowan-Dickie's effort was ruled out for a dubious knock-on.
But as Scotland found out to their cost last weekend, the Pumas are a dangerous wounded animal. Argentina started to find space in England's defence and by the 50th minute, England's lead had been cut to four with Justo Piccardo going under the posts, and Tomas Albornoz slotting a conversion and penalty.
England were struggling to find their feet, even the much-vaulted "pom squad" couldn't quite make an immediate impact, with Santiago Carreras chipping over a penalty after Henry Pollock infringed to make it a one-point match.
England managed to sway the balance of the match back in their favour with Henry Slade's try, but then came the Pumas' fightback. Rodrigo Isgro scored in the 80th minute and Carreras had a chance to steal the match in added time as Argentina hammered away at England's line.
They won a penalty and kicked to touch but scrambled the lineout and England breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Job done, just.
The Pumas were aggrieved at a Tom Curry tackle, and the pushing-and-shoving continued into the tunnel afterwards. But the result was there on the vast scoreboard, a four-point win, and a perfect autumn.
It was credit to England they managed to hold off the Pumas fightback. We've seen that film before where the Argentina side find their rhythm and suddenly a team is left bewildered as a win collapsed into a heartbreaking defeat. But England, for the time being, have forgotten how to lose.
Maro Itoje was immense as captain, Ben Earl put in another huge shift at No.8 while Ojomoh has thrown a wonderful spanner into the centre works with an outstanding performance at No.12. All lovely dilemmas for Borthwick to weigh up.
This wasn't pretty by any means, but it proved that England can find various ways to win a Test match. This was attritional, tactical and a game of waiting to see who blinked first.
Having dispatched a poor Australia team, nullified the threats of Fiji and ended a 13-year wait for a win against the All Blacks at Twickenham, this was their toughest Test of the quartet. But England found a way through, with a much-changed side, and proved they have the depth and self-belief to challenge for the Six Nations.