Miles Benjamin and Matt Cox both started as England put one foot in the semi-finals of the IRB Under-19 World Championship by edging past Argentina 17-15 in Belfast.
Warriors ace Benjamin played for over an hour on the wing and Cox the entire match. Sixways team-mate Greg King was an unused replacement.
London Wasps number eight Hugo Ellis forced his way over for his seventh try in four games this season and Newcastle Falcons centre Alex Tait struck from long-range with Saracens full-back Alex Goode adding two conversions and a penalty.
They could not claim a bonus point, though, against a spirited South American side who sparked into life after the interval to leave England on the ropes for a dangerous 10 minute spell.
And the result means they must take something – a win would remove other results from the equation – out of Friday’s final group game against New Zealand to stay in contention for a shot at a first-ever title.
Meanwhile, Worcester centre Harry Owen grabbed a try as England claimed third place in the AER European Under-18 Championships with a crushing 52-9 victory over Italy in their final game in front of a crowd of 6,000.
England – who also featured Michael Penn and Joel Diggins from Sixways – showed their character in bouncing back from a narrow defeat by Ireland in their semi-final to end the tournament on a high which saw them scored eight tries in a superb display of attacking rugby.
“We were delighted with the way the players reflected on their performance against Ireland and with the way they responded,” said England coach Graham Whitmore, after France were crowned eventual champions.
“They adopted a very positive and mature approach to the Ireland game and they came into this game with the determination to show just what they were capable of and with the ambition to play a high tempo game.
“Obviously we are disappointed that we couldn’t win the competition for a third consecutive season but this squad has developed beyond recognition in the ten weeks we have been together.”
There was also success for young Warriors Graham Kitchener and Oliver Frost as England Under-18s defeated host nation Scotland 15-6 on the opening day of action in the Six Nations Festival.