If you’ve read a few past posts here at Out On The Full then you’ll know that I’m very much looking forward to seeing Eddie Jones’ squad take on Argentina. I must say that it's been a bit of a whirlwind of a week hence the reason that this preview is arriving just over an hour before kick-off but at least it’s ‘timely’ as opposed to fashionably late!
Eddie Jones announced his squad on Thursday evening and it includes four uncapped players - Alex Lozowski, Mark Wilson, Harry Williams and Tom Curry - in the starting XV alongside a number of very familiar faces. The Australian head coach has made it abundantly clear that if he thinks that a player is good enough then how young they are is immaterial. We all know that he has chosen to dig deep into England's resources for this tour and that the aim remains to win the series 2-0. At the other end of the experience spectrum Dylan Hartley will be running out for his 85th Test cap at 8.15pm tonight and the Northampton Saint’s presence is vital. The presence of the captain is a huge bonus for Eddie Jones and the success of this tour and the hooker is well aware of what Argentina will throw at them tonight;
“They are a team that has played a lot of rugby together, they are tight-knit off the field. and they understand how they want to play. Their strengths are that they are physically strong and they can play a tight game if they need to.
“Also looking at their Super Rugby games they like to play from anywhere. They can offload the ball, they are keen to play. So, they can play both styles of rugby which we are going to have to be well aware of and prepared for.”
Preparing for a side that has been together for a much greater time than the one that you are in should be part of the excitement and motivation for this England squad. By that I mean that they have the chance to upset the norm and prove that time together matters little if you're good enough... just ask the British & Irish Lions about that one following today’s victory over the Crusaders. Despite this England squad's impressive performance against the Barbarians there will be a number of people out there will believe that tonight might ‘find them out’. Personally I'm not of that opinion, instead I think that we’ll see individuals thrive and chances taken with both hands.
England’s captain made it very clear that the success of this side depends on others stepping into leadership roles and all stepping up to the mark regardless of the amount of time that they’ve spent in camp or the amount of Premiership or international rugby that they have played. He stipulated early on that players must ‘find their voices’ and I believe that, that sentiment also translates onto the park tonight. Those that are making their Test debuts cannot let the occasion derail them and they can't be starstruck by the likes of Agustin Creevy. Instead they have to treat this match like any other... of course it's easier said than done but that is where the leadership of the likes of Dylan Hartley, George Ford, Joe Launchbury comes to the fore.
So what excites me so much about this England match-day 23? Well, it’s the dynamism housed in the back-line and the solidity in the pack that should help to provide them with the platform required to work from. Dylan Hartley, Ellis Genge and Harry Williams are a physical front row trio and with the rest of the pack selected, backwards steps will not be taken. Charlie Ewels and Joe Launchbury are both great athletes and diligent set-piece specialists while Mark Wilson’s work-rate will set the tone.
Behind all of them the 9 - 13 axis looks like it could be an extremely potent one. Alex Lozowski and George Ford are both outstanding readers of the game and Henry Slade has a point or two to prove to Eddie Jones on this tour. Denny Solomona is likely turn heads off the bench and we’re all intrigued to see what Piers Francis might do should he arrive on the field. That said, I’m not sure that he will given Ford’s leadership but if he does we’ll all get a glimpse of what Northampton Saints will have in their armoury next season.
Behind all of them the 9 - 13 axis looks like it could be an extremely potent one. Alex Lozowski and George Ford are both outstanding readers of the game and Henry Slade has a point or two to prove to Eddie Jones on this tour. Denny Solomona is likely turn heads off the bench and we’re all intrigued to see what Piers Francis might do should he arrive on the field. That said, I’m not sure that he will given Ford’s leadership but if he does we’ll all get a glimpse of what Northampton Saints will have in their armoury next season.
England’s outing against the Barbarians turned heads and started to highlight the real strength in depth that Eddie Jones has at his disposal. If this England squad can turnover Argentina in their own backyard then the rest of the rugby world would continue to step up and take notice. There are few other nations in the world that could manage with so many front line players away - 30 in total - and England could send a further message out regarding their progression towards 2019.
It has made it abundantly clear that this squad are expected to play what’s in front of them and that the players have been given ‘license to take an opportunity if they see it.’ There’s no question that Argentina will do the same and as a result I’m looking forward to seeing sparks flying in attack and then both teams looking to stamp match-winning defence onto the park. In short this should be a cracking Test match at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario. Set a reminder on your iPhone or set your oven timer beeper because kick-off is at 8.15pm and it's live on BBC 2!
It has made it abundantly clear that this squad are expected to play what’s in front of them and that the players have been given ‘license to take an opportunity if they see it.’ There’s no question that Argentina will do the same and as a result I’m looking forward to seeing sparks flying in attack and then both teams looking to stamp match-winning defence onto the park. In short this should be a cracking Test match at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario. Set a reminder on your iPhone or set your oven timer beeper because kick-off is at 8.15pm and it's live on BBC 2!
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Danny Care; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Harry Williams, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Nathan Hughes. 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.
Argentina: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 1 Lucas Noguera Paz, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 3 Enrique Pieretto, 4 Matias Alemanno, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon. Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Juan Martin Hernandez, 23 Ramiro Moyano.
