Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata
Kick-off: 16:40 local (20:40 BST, 19:40 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (FFR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
England will face Argentina in the sunny Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi in La Plata on Saturday, in the opening of their three summer Test fixtures.
The tour, which will take place in southern and northern America, will see England face two tough Tests against Argentina before heading north to challenge the USA in Washington.
England have won nine out of their last ten matches against Argentina, with the last contest between the two sides resulting in a 26-23 victory over the South Americans in a tense bronze medal match at the 2023 World Cup in France.
This time around, England will be looking to embed their fresh talent, with many of their typical superstars away on British and Irish Lions duty. Argentina, on the other hand, head into the game as heavy favourites having just wiped away a misfiring Lions squad in their tour opener.
Where the game will be won
Two very different sides in the way they play their rugby. England are typically stoic in the way they go about their business; hitting hard lines, playing an intelligent kicking game and using the set-piece to establish dominance. Argentina, on the other hand, play with a fluidity similar to the likes of France or New Zealand, where they’re free to express themselves with an immense fluidity and speed that can open up sides not used to this flamboyant nature.
As such, the game will almost certainly be won by the side that can dictate the style of play, rather than just playing their own game. If the match remains open and fast paced, it will benefit Argentina, but if England are able to slow the game down and force their hosts into a technical battle, then the visitors will gain the upper hand.
What they said
England head coach Steve Borthwick has warned his team to expect a “huge challenge” against Los Pumas and singled out their skipper as being a key cog in their success.
“Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, they come into this series as favourites,” he said. “They’re brilliantly led by Julián Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge.”
Meanwhile, George Ford will reach 100 caps this weekend and admits it will be a proud moment to reach the milestone in La Plata.
“You dream of playing for England, and when you get to do it once it is an unbelievably special moment – to achieve that was the proudest memory of my career,” he admitted.
Players to watch
Bath youngster Guy Pepper was utterly devastating for his club side this season, and had quite rightly been given the opportunity off the bench this Saturday. His Player of the Match performances in both the semi-final and final of the Premiership give a huge indication of what this talented flanker can do at the highest level.
Pepper’s club teammate Sam Underhill will have been disappointed to have missed out on British and Irish Lions selection due to injury, so expect to see him chomping at the bit as he looks to put a marker down and secure that England number seven shirt. Known for his powerful direct running and huge chopping tackle, the man with the biggest traps in world rugby will be vital if England are to contain a hugely physical Pumas side.
Saracens number eight Tom Willis will look to solidify the back-row position as his own this tour. A powerful runner, a strong performance from Willis will be vital in ensuring that a structured side like England are given the footing to play against a team like Argentina that prefer to play more off the cuff’ rugby.
Former World Sevens Player of the Year Rodrigo Isgro cuts an impressive figure on the Pumas wing, as he looks to use all his Sevens experience to cause damage in the English backline. A brilliant finisher and a deadly broken play runner, Isgro will look for doglegs in the English defence as he targets even the smallest of gaps to charge through.
Main head-to-head
The wings – England’s big rangy wide men vs the smaller Argentinian lads. England will look to take advantage of their giant height advantage by sticking the ball in the air for Will Muir and Tom Roebuck to latch onto.
Argentina will look to keep the ball in hand as they use their wingers’ superior pace and change of direction to twist English ankles.
Previous results
2023: England won 26-23 in Saint-Denis
2023: England won 27-10 in Marseille
2022: Argentina won 30-29 in London
2019: England won 39-10 in Chofu
2017: England won 21-8 in London
2017: England won 35-25 in Santa Fe
2017: England won 38-34 in San Juan
2016: England won 27-14 in London
2013: England won 31-12 in London
2013: England won 51-26 in Buenos Aires
The teams
Argentina: 15 Benjamin Elizalde, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Juan Martín González, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Lucas Paulos, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Santiago Grondona, 20 Joaquín Moro, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Nicolás Roger, 23 Matías Moroni
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Will Muir, 10 George Ford (cc), 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ben Curry, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Charlie Ewels, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (cc), 1 Fin Baxter
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Cadan Murley
