England return to Argentina for the first time since 2013, kicking off a two-Test series in San Juan this Saturday.
Four years ago, England’s top players were also with the British and Irish Lions, on tour in Australia, and of interest is which of those players from that tour have progressed to be part of the Lions, or find themselves back in Argentina.
Jonathan Joseph, Joe Marler and Courtney Lawes have all made the step up, joining the Lions in New Zealand four years on. Only Mike Brown, Joe Launchbury and Jonny May are back from the group of 2013.
The two sides’ fortunes have come and gone since that series, Argentina peaking at the 2015 Rugby World Cup when England suffered disaster, with England since winning back-to-back Six Nations titles and Argentina enduring a tough 2016.
Early optimism about the Jaguares progress in Super Rugby has faded away, and given the entirety of the Argentina squad is made up of players from the franchise, a knock-on effect when it comes to form and confidence cannot be dismissed.
England on the other hand are very much using this tour with an eye on the future, hence the very high number of uncapped players that have made the trip.
Winning under Eddie Jones has become commonplace, with one defeat in 18 matches, and while the Australian will certainly not want to lose that culture, this tour is more about building England’s player base than picking up victories.
The threats posed by a trip to Argentina have changed too. Los Pumas are not the one-dimensional scrummaging powerhouse of old. Yet especially watching the Jaguares, the enthusiasm to put width on the ball too often produces handling errors.
With only three wins in their last 12 Tests, a run which includes a 27-0 defeat at home to France last June, there is no doubting that Argentina need to win this series more than their visitors.
Daniel Hourcade’s ability to name a settled side with just one new cap in Emiliano Boffelli, against an England team largely playing together for the first time, might turn out to be the key advantage.
Ten new caps for England’s matchday squad is a bold, exciting move from Jones, who win or lose will learn plenty about the new faces in an imposing atmosphere.
Alex Lozowski’s first cap is long overdue after plenty of time in England’s training camps, while no back-row in the country has deserved recognition more than Mark Wilson.
Jack Singleton, Nick Isiekwe and Jack Maunder represent the future, while Jones will be desperate to see if Denny Solomona’s try-scoring rate can be replicated at Test level.
Unsurprisingly the England coach has been eager to deflect attention away from his newer players and onto Argentina, and there was certainly plenty of truth in his pre-match comments.
“We are here to win this series 2-0 but we know Argentina will be extremely tough opposition. After a mixed year of results, there will be pressure on them to play well and win in front of a partisan crowd.”
Players to Watch
For Argentina: It is no secret that when Nicolás Sánchez is in form, so are either Argentina or the Jaguares, and the 28-year-old hasn’t always produced his best rugby so far in 2017. In Super Rugby much of that has come down to the lack of clean ball coming out of the breakdown, and therefore Argentina’s back row have a major role to play. If Sánchez can get on the front foot, then England’s defence will be well tested, with his tactical kicking game also hugely important.
For England: Any number of the ten new caps will be worth paying some attention but how about Tom Curry, the 18-year-old from Sale Sharks who will become the youngest England player for nearly 20 years, since a certain Jonny Wilkinson made his international debut in 1998. Curry was Man of the Match against the Barbarians a few weeks ago and only has five Premiership starts to his name, but with Chris Robshaw and Sam Underhill carrying knocks this is massive chance for him.
Head-to-head: Plenty to pick from but this battle will be won upfront, which puts the focus on Tomás Lavanini and Joe Launchbury. Lavanini is the younger of the two locks and only recently back from a serious knee injury, suffered in the win against South Africa in Salta, but is some athlete at 201cm and nearly 130kg, with his work at the lineout set to keep England busy.
Launchbury on the other hand might have been the player most unlucky to miss out on the British and Irish Lions tour, his form deserving of a call-up. Unfortuantely for Argentina he now gets to take that frustration out on them over the next two Tests, while calling the lineout presumably as well being the senior partner alongside Charlie Ewels.
Previous results:
2016: England won 27-14 at Twickenham
2013: England won 31-12 at Twickenham
2013: England won 51-26 in Buenos Aires
2013: England won 32-2 in Salta
2011: England won 13-9 in Dunedin (RWC)
2009: England won 16-9 iat Twickenham
2009: Argentina won 24-22 in Salta
2009: England won 37-15 in Manchester
Prediction: Very tight to call, with England’s uncapped contingent an unknown factor. This is close to a full-strength Argentina side however, and that commands respect, especially at home. Argentina by three.
The teams:
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Enrique Pieretto, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Lucas Noguera Paz
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Juan Martín Hernández, 23 Ramiro Moyano
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Will Collier, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Don Armand, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Piers Francis, 23 Denny Solomona
Date: Saturday, June 10
Venue: Estadio del Bicentenario, San Juan
Kick-off: 16:15 local (19:15 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Egon Seconds (South Africa)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)
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