England Test Match: Can Borthwick’s Young Squad Deliver in Argentina?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
English dominance over the past two decades
It’s been one-way traffic between these two nations in rugby international test matches over 20 years as England have held a distinct advantage over their Argentine opponents. Most recently, they faced off in the Rugby World Cup in 2023, where the Red Roses dealt two defeats to Los Pumas, once in the group stage and once in the third-place match.
Below are the results over the last 13 test matches between these two nations, dating back to 2000:
| Date | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 27 October 2023 | 26-23 | England |
| 09 September 2023 | 27-10 | England |
| 06 November 2022 | 30-29 | Argentina |
| 05 October 2019 | 39-10 | England |
| 11 November 2017 | 21-8 | England |
| 17 June 2017 | 35-25 | England |
| 10 June 2017 | 38-34 | England |
| 26 November 2016 | 27-14 | England |
| 09 November 2013 | 31-12 | England |
| 15 June 2013 | 51-26 | England |
| 08 June 2013 | 32-3 | England |
| 10 September 2011 | 13-9 | England |
| 14 November 2009 | 16-9 | England |
England have won 12 of their last 13 against Argentina, outscoring them by a total of 451 to 230. England should, therefore, have a major psychological advantage. However, it also introduces the revenge angle for Argentina, who will be looking to get one over on their opponents in front of the home support.
Golden opportunity for revenge
Argentina will be desperate to exact a measure of revenge after losing out on third place in the 2023 Rugby World Cup to England and come into this match as the betting favourites.
This is in large part due to the fact that 13 regular squad players will not be a part of the team. This test match clashes with the British and Irish Lions Tour, which sees influential players such as Maro Itoje, Ellis Genge and Tom Curry taking part in the competition.
Steve Borthwick has brought up the idea of the flipt script. Speaking to the press, he said:
“Argentina play off the underdog tag in every single game that they go into – they are not underdogs now.”
He continued, “This is different for them - can they deal with that?” It’s perhaps a bit of mind games from the England head coach as he looks to pin the pressure on the hosts. And while Argentina are not considered to be huge favourites, Borthwick looks to be setting this up as a spot where his England squad can play without pressure.
Additionally, many of the young players will view this as a great chance to secure a spot in the squad for the upcoming Six Nations in January. However, our experts believe this is a spot where Argentina can leverage their home advantage and the inexperience of their opponents, as you can read about in our Argentina vs England prediction.
Youth ready to impress Borthwick
As previously mentioned, 13 usual members of the squad will miss out. That has opened the door to young players such as Seb Atkinson and Will Muir, who will claim their first England caps in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Guy Pepper makes the bench and could earn his first England cap as well.
In total, there are 10 uncapped players in the 36-man squad for head coach Steve Borthwick while nine of the starting XV have under 15 caps.
While the squad is certainly young, there is also a good amount of experience sprinkled in. 32-year-old George Ford will captain the team and is set to make history by becoming just the seventh player to hit the century mark in caps for the Red Roses. One of those other six is 34-year-old Jamie George, who will co-captain the team as he earns his 102nd cap.
