England v Argentina - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: Owen Farrell is adamant he will lead England on his own terms after being restored as captain for their November international opener against Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday.
The inside centre has recovered from the concussion sustained playing for London club Saracens that threatened to rule him out of a match that pits England against one of their pool opponents at next year’s World Cup in France.
Farrell takes over from Courtney Lawes, whose involvement in the November campaign is threatened by his own concussion problem.
When naming his squad last month, England coach Eddie Jones said he had made Lawes captain instead of Farrell because of the Northampton back-row’s greater composure when talking to referees – a key aspect of the modern game as the penalty count can often be the difference between winning and losing.
Farrell is often a fiery figure on the field, his passionate approach making him appear confrontational, but he is determined to remain true to himself while evolving his leadership style.
‘Be a better me’
“I’d say the challenge for me is obviously the way that I play the game, the way I present myself at times when I’m playing,” said Farrell, who last skippered England against Australia a year ago.
“It’s not always necessarily what I say, it is sometimes making sure that you’re giving off the right message as well,” added Farrell, England’s captain in their 2019 World Cup final loss to South Africa in Japan.
“There are different captains all over the world. There have been really, really calm ones that are good.
“And there’s been some explosive ones that have been really good as well. There are still a few of those knocking about now. I want to be me and I want to work on how I be a better me.”
For Sunday’s match Jones deploys his preferred midfield trio of flyhalf Marcus Smith, Farrell and the dynamic Manu Tuilagi for the first time following injuries to the two centres.
“Manu has got certain qualities which no other centre in England has got,” said Jones. “He’s got power, he can run a line, he can carry defenders with him and he can create quick ball.”
Sunday’s match is the first of four games as England also face Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on successive weekends at Twickenham.
There was a time when England would have been overwhelming favourites to beat both the Pumas and the Cherry Blossoms.
But Argentina won away to the All Blacks during the recent Rugby Championship and Japan ran New Zealand close in a 38-31 defeat in Tokyo last Saturday.
“Every game is dangerous,” said Jones, the former Japan coach. “New Zealand went to Japan and they thought they would eat nice sushi, drink sake and have a nice runaround on the national stadium – and they nearly came unstuck.
“That is the fantastic thing about rugby at the moment…you look at the state of world rugby and the potential upsets there are.
“We just treat them [Argentina] as a highly respected opponent. We have given them 100 percent diligence in preparing. Is it dangerous? Every game is dangerous.”
Meanwhile, Argentina head coach Michael Cheika said they want to make some history at Twickenham.
“We are going to be World Cup competitors in less than a year’s time but that is for further down the road,” said Cheika.
“We are trying to create some firsts – winning at Twickenham would be a first for many of our players.”
Players to watch
For England: All eyes will be on the midfield pairing. Owen Farrell has dominated the headlines with his return, while England fans will be hoping Manu Tuilagi gets through the game without picking up an injury. Marcus Smith continues in the flyhalf role and Eddie Jones will be keen to give him plenty of game time in that pivotal position ahead of next year’s World Cup. In the pack, Billy Vunipola is a brute force in that No.8 jersey, while Maro Itoje brings some versatility in the No.6 jersey. Keep an eye out for former Western Province lock David Ribbans, who will be making an appearance off the bench.
For Argentina: Wing Emiliano Boffelli is a proven match-winner with his accurate goal-kicking and ability to find the tryline out wide. Centres Matias Moroni and Jeronimo de la Fuente gave their Rugby Championship opponents plenty of problems and they will be looking to do the same at Twickenham. In the pack, No.8 Pablo Matera is aggressive and a menace at the breakdowns, while Marcos Kremer is one of the musclemen in a powerful pack. Lock Tomas Lavanini also brings the aggression, but sometimes he goes a bit too far.
Prediction
@rugby365com: England by six.
Teams:
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Maro Itoje, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Sam Simmonds, 21 Jack Willis, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Henry Slade.
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Mateo Carreras, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Facunda Isa, 21 Eliseo Morales, 22 Tomas Albornoz, 23 Matias Orlando.
Date: Sunday, November 6
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 14.15 (14.15 GMT; 11.15 ART)
Expected weather: It will be cloudy with shows with a high of 14°C and a low of 10°C.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Frank Murphy (Ireland), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
AFP & @rugby365com
