The British & Irish Lions, New Zealand, Australia and Scotland — none of these teams are to be taken lightly. And Argentina have beaten them all in the course of this calendar year. Nor will Twickenham be unfamiliar terrain to the Pumas, having faced South Africa there in the final round of the Rugby Championship. A late try may have flattered Argentina somewhat but, even so, a 29-27 defeat against the world’s best team is the mark of nothing but a very good Test side.
Fifty-two points in Cardiff is the sort of tally expected of the elite and Felipe Contepomi’s men duly delivered a fortnight ago against Wales. Some of the stuff they produced was swaggering rugby of the highest class. Give Argentina’s attack an opportunity and they’ll take it. They have come a long way from the first Argentina Test team a 14-year-old Stuart Barnes ever saw in the flesh.
That game too was in Cardiff, way back in 1976, as a Wales team whose entire tally of 20 points was scored by three of the great names of Welsh rugby, Gerald Davies, Phil Bennett and Gareth Edwards. But from the South Americans that day I retained mere sketches of memories. A centre called Alejandro Travaglini who I recall as a giant — he was probably no more than 6ft tall — and the great Hugo Porta, the legendary fly half with the touch of Diego Madonna. So it seemed.
Wales were in their pomp. Argentina awarded their men caps but Wales downgraded the fixture to Wales XV v Argentina. The home team won 20-19, Argentina were properly applauded from the field by the home crowd. Forty-nine long years later and one rugby nation is struggling to arrest its decline, the other is steadily advancing. When you remember the Pumas have made the semi-finals in three of the past five World Cups (Ireland have yet to reach the last four even once), it puts the class of 2025 in esteemed company.
In Santiago Carreras they have a rugby player who is world class, both as a fly half and full back. His introduction from the bench in Murrayfield last week was a major factor in the Test match turning on its head. Things went wrong for his Bath team-mate, Finn Russell. They went right for Carreras. Outside Carreras, Bautista Delguy and the other Carreras, Mateo, formerly of Newcastle Falcons, were spectacular as Argentina overturned a 21-0 deficit to leave Scotland scarred in an unforgettable second half of rugby. Yet the very sight of the Bath man and the hulking Pablo Matera starting on the bench is as much a concern as a sign of strength for the Pumas.
Contepomi has stated that some of his star players — all of whom play in France or England — have been on the club treadmill since the end of the Rugby Championship. Whereas Steve Borthwick, the England head coach, uses Ellis Genge off the bench as a tactical plan, Argentina’s coach feels the need to give his best a rest from their endless cycle of high-octane rugby.
And when the best are not starting, the rest are nowhere near as potent as England’s latter-stage equivalents. Scotland were good in the first half at Murrayfield but a weakened Argentina starting XV were unquestionably poor. Test-match rugby — whether you agree or otherwise — is a 23-man game. England, against New Zealand and through November, have shown themselves to be well equipped to maintain extremely fresh forces. In contrast there are question marks surrounding Argentina’s pack.
Leicester Tigers’ Joe Heyes has enjoyed some of the best rugby of his life as the starting tight-head prop through November. Yet Borthwick is comfortable enough in his squad strength to rest Heyes. He has not been dropped. It is a case of a job superbly done. In his place comes Sale Sharks’ Asher Opoku-Fordjour. A lot of people have been waiting to see just how much destruction he can wreak in a match of this status.
Opoku-Fordjour benefits from an unfortunate injury to Jamie George which means Luke Cowan-Dickie, his club colleague, will start alongside him in the front row. Argentina were exposed by the close-range surges of Scotland’s Ewan Ashman, who blasted over for two tries. Cowan-Dickie has similar, if not superior, ball-carrying strengths.
Borthwick made a point of praising another Lion, Will Stuart, for his performances from the bench. Now cast your mind back to the beginning of the second half in Murrayfield. Argentina emptied the best part of their forward replacements, only for Scotland to demolish the fresh front row, not once but twice, within the first ten minutes of the second half.
Santiago Carreras changed the game when he came off the bench against Scotland last weekend
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
Whichever way Argentina select, there are worries about a wobbling scrum; perhaps much sooner than later. England, not averse to emulating the Springboks, will be only too happy too kick to the corners from any garnered scrum penalties and drive from close range, where the likes of Cowan-Dickie and the replacement hooker, Theo Dan, can be devastating from a metre or so out.
The Argentina skipper, Julián Montoya, is one of the great leaders of his age but England will be well aware that under pressure his lineout throwing has always been suspect and can be targeted. Expect Maro Itoje to harass him, skipper against skipper. In that first ten minutes of the second half in Edinburgh, Argentina were pummelled in two scrums and had a lineout stolen near Scotland’s line. It was a great comeback but it had its flaws.
In the 20th century, Argentina were renowned for their packs and — above all — their scrum. Now they are winning despite their set piece, not because of it. The Pumas are coming to the end of their season, England are climbing towards their first 2025-26 peak. This could be one mountain too many for Argentina’s exciting new generation. As for England, four wins from four in November would leave them where they feel they should be. England could not look fresher going into Sunday afternoon whereas you fear Argentina’s squad has a hint of exhaustion and a suspect scrum. It does not pay to dismiss Argentina but it will take an epic effort for Montoya’s men to scale the heights of Twickenham.
England v Argentina
Twickenham
Sunday, 4.10pm
TV TNT Sports