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England will aim to end 2025 on a high with a win over a confident Argentina side, and in doing so take their winning run to 11 consecutive matches, their only blight this year their opening match of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, which they lost to Ireland.
Since then, Steve Borthwick’s side have enjoyed significant wins over France, last week against New Zealand, and twice in July away to Argentina.
Argentina go into the match having mounted one of the biggest comebacks. After trailing 21-0 to Scotland at Murrayfield, they stirred late in the match and finished 33-24 victors. Can they find that form and emotional drive again?
Maintain The Focus
Amazingly, there were articles published in the build up to Argentina’s clash with Scotland warning the Scots no to underestimate Los Pumas. Yes, Scotland were confident, but Argentina had beaten New Zealand, Australia, and the Lions this year. They can now add Scotland.
While England’s players (like their Scottish counterparts) are unlikely to be doing anything but their utmost to beat Felipe Contepomi’s side and paying them due respect, certain elements of the English media are lamenting that is Argentina that England will face, rather than South Africa.
Argentina will swoop on any hint of being underestimated, and they will use La Bronca, that deep well of rage against anyone who has slighted them, and which has driven them to some of their best performances. That and their raging desire to gain some payback for losing twice to England (shorn of their Lions players if they needed any reminding) at home in July. It means this could be Borthwick’s teams most fearsome test of November.
Can The Understudies Step Up?
Borthwick has made six changes to the team that defeated New Zealand, the most eye-catching being the choice of Elliot Daly to start on the left wing after Tom Roebuck was ruled out. It is his first start since he broke his arm playing for the Lions against Queensland Reds and he has been training with a protective casing.
For some, there will be disappointment that Noah Caluori wasn’t given his first cap after he opened the season with six tries in four matches for Saracens, but it is likely that Borthwick doesn’t want to throw him in against a team as in form, as wily, and as confident as Los Pumas are. They would have scented blood and gone after him.
He has had his first taste of a training camp and scored a try for England A. Borthwick has seen him up close. Caluori’s time will come.
Elsewhere, Henry Slade replaces Ollie Lawrence, and he needs to show he has returned to his previous levels in defence, after struggling under the now departed Felix Jones system. With Slade in tandem with Fraser Dingwall, it will be interesting to see who brings the power to midfield.
The other player who needs a decent amount of minutes is Theo Dan. He has happy memories of playing Argentina, after his try-scoring redemption in the France 2023 bronze medal match. With Luke Cowan-Dickie having already put in a solid shift this autumn, Dan should have at least 30 minutes to show he’s heading back to those 2023 levels after a solid start to the season with Saracens.
Geronimo On the Charge
Earlier in the season, the Pumas number 10 jersey appeared to be Tomas Albornoz’s, especially after his 18-point performance against the Lions in their pre-tour match in Dublin.
Santiago Carreras wore it when England visited in July, but Albornoz returned for The Rugby Championship but when ruptured ligaments ruled him out of the tournament and the November tests, Carreras carried on.
He made his test bow off the bench against Australia and then made his first start against South Africa at Allianz Stadium in the final Rugby Championship match of the season. Since touching down on British soil, he has started against Wales and Scotland and bagged two tries against the former.
The 26-year-old has had to be patient for his first cap, as Albornoz was, and while Carreras still takes care of place kicks, he has shown beyond doubt that he can control and bring the best out of a backline as talented as Argentina’s.
Raeburn Rerouted?
There’s plenty of trophies flying around at this time of year. Just last weekend England took the Hilary Shield off New Zealand, while Ireland held onto the Lansdowne Cup after they defeated Australia.
This week England chase an 11th consecutive win, and should they achieve that then they will have held onto the Raeburn Shield since taking it off France in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations in February.
What is the Raeburn Shield you may ask? It is the (very unofficial) lineal world championship that dates back to 1871 and the first international between Scotland and England that took place at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. Scotland won and thus were the first holders. Whenever, the holders lose it passes (metaphorically) on to the victors.
Should Argentina triumph, it means that they could put the trophy on the line against Scotland in the opening weekend of The Nations Championship’s opening weekend, and watch it ping between a variety of countries in a way it hasn’t this year.
If England win then they will defend it against when they open their Six Nations campaign versus Wales in February. If they want to hold it when The Nations Championship starts, then it will take a Grand Slam (or amazing run of results) for them to do so. If that’s the case, 11 will become 16, which would take this England to new heights.
