England will be looking to complete a sweep of their two-Test series against Argentina when the two nations lock horns at Estadio Bicentenario in San Juan on Saturday night.
Despite starting the first Test as underdogs, the visitors recorded an impressive 35-12 win over their hosts and will want to continue to build momentum leading up to their trip to DC next week.
Match preview
England overcame the absence of 13 key players who are currently away on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia to deliver a hugely impressive win over the Pumas in La Plata last weekend.
After fending off a lacklustre Los Pumas attack to take a three-point lead into half time, England seized control early in the second half, with Sale’s Tom Roebuck crossing twice and Leicester’s Freddie Steward adding another try in a decisive nine-minute burst.
Although Argentina responded with two tries of their own, England, guided by the outstanding George Ford on his 100th cap, displayed calm composure and defensive resilience to keep the hosts under control.
Ford extended his side’s lead with two well-struck penalties before Harlequins wing Cadan Murley sealed the victory with a clinical try five minutes from full-time, marking the Red Rose’s 13th victory over the Argentine's in their last 14 encounters.
Unfortunately for the visitors, any hopes Steve Borthwick had of establishing some much-needed midfield continuity have been dealt a blow, with Henry Slade, who made seven tackles flying aggressively out of the line in England’s revamped, high-intensity defence last week, ruled out for the remainder of the tour due to a hand injury.
Meanwhile, Argentina had an excellent 2024 season, in which they beat all of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Rugby Championship before thumping Italy on their end-of-year tour.
Last weekend, though, Los Pumas proved once again just how unpredictable they can be, as they were a shadow of the side that kicked off the 2025 season with a memorable 28-24 victory over the British & Irish Lions.
After a dismal first-half performance, Felipe Contepomi’s side responded with a try from Pablo Matera - earning his 109th cap to equal the national appearance record - followed by an impressive finish from Bristol lock Pedro Rubiolo, narrowing the deficit to just 10 points.
However, Ford and Murley’s late contributions dashed any hopes of a Pumas comeback, and given the convincing nature of England’s victory, it is hard to see how Argentina would have addressed all their shortcomings in just a week.
Argentina form (all competitions): LWLLWL
England form (all competitions): LWWWWW
Team News
Contepomi has made seven changes to the side beaten in La Plata, including two in the front row, where loosehead Mayco Vivas and tighthead Pedro Delgado drop to the bench, replaced by Thomas Gallo and Francisco Gomez Kodela.
The remaining changes in the pack see Guido Petti come in for Lucas Paulo in the second row, while Bristol Bears flanker Santiago Grondona replaces Facundo Isa, with vice-captain Pablo Matera shifting to the base of the scrum.
Harlequins’ Rodrigo Isgro has been ruled out with a head injury and will be replaced by Matías Moroni on the right wing, while Ignacio Mendy starts on the left in place of Santi Cordero.
Borthwick has made minimal adjustments to his starting 15 for this weekend, with the only change seeing Luke Northmore earn his first England start at outside centre, replacing the injured Henry Slade.
Northmore lines up alongside Seb Atkinson in the midfield, with Ford and Ben Spencer continuing in the halves, while the back three features Freddie Steward at full-back and wingers Tom Roebuck and Will Muir.
Up front, co-captain Jamie George starts at hooker in a strong front row with props Joe Heyes and Fin Baxter, while Charlie Ewels and Alex Coles form the second-row pairing.
Argentina starting lineup: 15 Benjamin Elizalde, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Santi Carreras, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Santiago Grondona, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Benjamin Grondona, 22 Agustin Moyano, 23 Nicolas Roge
England starting lineup: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Luke Northmore, 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
© PA Photos
We say: Argentina 21-28 England
While the hosts have made wholesale changes to their squad and are expected to produce a better performance this week, England were far too good in La Plata in the first Test, and we feel they will complete the series sweep in this one.