Summer tour preview: Argentina v England
England will face Argentina on Saturday 5 July at 20:40 BST in the first Test of their summer tour of Argentina & the USA.
Steve Borthwick’s England return to action following a narrow 24-26 defeat to France XV at Allianz Stadium.
The team are missing 13 regular players who are touring Australia with the British & Irish Lions, paving the way for the 10 uncapped players in the squad to potentially make their senior debuts.
George Ford will win his 100th cap, having made his England debut against Wales back in 2014 aged 20, while there are debuts for Seb Atkinson and Will Muir. Guy Pepper could make his first Test appearance from the bench.
Argentina go into the game fresh from an impressive 24-28 victory over the Lions and will be looking to avenge their loss to England in the Bronze Final of the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup.
Before the game in South America, England U20 Men will continue their 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against South Africa on Friday 4 July at 17:00.
The reigning champions opened their tournament with a 56-19 win over Scotland U20 and can be watched on RugbyPass TV.
How to watch England v Argentina
| Where | Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata |
| When | Saturday 5 July |
| Kick-off | 20:40 BST |
| How to watch | Sky Sports Action |
Last time out
Keep your eye on…
A youthful squad. With so many players representing the Lions this summer, this is an opportunity for the younger squad members to stake their claim, whether they are capped or not. For example, when the Lions toured New Zealand in 2017, a number of now established players made their England debuts against Argentina.
Midfield make-up. Of the centres selected by Borthwick to tour, only Henry Slade has been capped. The veteran started against France XV alongside the uncapped Seb Atkinson, who gets the chance to show his ability after impressing against France XV.
The Bath boys. Fresh from winning a first Gallagher Premiership in 29 years, seven Bath players were named in the touring party. The likes of Pepper and Muir will make their first appearances, while experienced players such as Sam Underhill will provide international knowledge.
Ford’s 100th. Currently on 99 caps, Ford will reach a century of England appearances against Argentina. The fly half has been a mainstay in the national team since his debut in 2014 and played an impressive role in England’s pool stage win over Argentina in 2023, scoring all 27 points.
Recent results
2023: Argentina 23-26 England
2023: England 27-10 Argentina
2022: England 29-30 Argentina
2019: England 39-10 Argentina
2017: England 21-8 Argentina
Stats & Facts
This will be the first meeting between Argentina and England since Steve Borthwick’s side defeated the Pumas in both the pool stages (27-10) and Bronze Final (26-23) of the 2023 Rugby World Cup – overall, England have won 12 of their last 13 Tests against Argentina (L1).
Argentina have lost each of their last two Test matches against European opposition (v Ireland & France), however, they did defeat the British and Irish Lions in Dublin two weeks ago to claim the 1888 Cup (28-24).
Argentina have won three of their last four Test matches on home soil (L1), including each of their last two, also leading at half-time on each occasion; however, the Pumas haven’t won three in a row at home since 2010-2012 (W5).
England come into this game off the back of four straight wins in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the most recent of which came away from home by a margin of 54 points (68-14 v Wales), their largest away victory since 1989 (58-3 v Romania, excluding neutral venues).
England have crossed the gain line from 64.0% of their carries since the start of 2024, the highest rate of any Tier 1 nation in that time, with South Africa (63.1%) the only other side with a rate higher than Argentina (63.0%).
England (92%) and Argentina (90%) are two of just three Tier 1 teams to have retained possession from 90%+ of their own lineouts since the start of 2024 (also France) – England also have the highest maul success rate of any nation (93%), while Argentina possess the third best scrum success rate (95%).
Related topics
- Attack
- T - Tries
- M - Metres carried
- C - Carries
- DB - Defenders beaten
- CB - Clean breaks
- P - Passes
- O - Offloads
- TC - Turnovers conceded
- TA - Try assists
- PTS - Points
- Defence
- Tackles - Tackles
- MT - Missed tackles
- TW - Turnovers won
- Kicking
- K - Kicks in play
- C - Conversions
- PG - Penalty goals
- DG - Drop goals
- Set plays
- TW - Throws won
- LW - Lineouts won
- LS - Lineout steals
- Discipline
- PC - Penalties conceded
- RC - Red cards
- YC - Yellow cards
