Argentina v England - teams and prediction

PREVIEW: Argentina and England will add another chapter to their history when the two sides face each other on Saturday in La Plata.

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 World Cup.

England has won 12 of their last 13 Tests against Argentina.

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).

The win will give them confidence against Borthwick’s team, who are missing 13 regular players who are touring Australia with the British & Irish Lions.

#SquadUpdate: British and Irish Lions boss springs huge Farrell surprise 👇#Lions2025 #Australia #Wallabies #Waratahs #WARvBIL https://t.co/GUCnV3PjdY

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 3, 2025

George Ford will co-captain the England side alongside Jamie George.

The match marks a significant milestone for Ford, who is set to win his 100th England cap, having made his debut during the 2014 Six Nations Championship against Wales.

The starting XV includes two debutants with Seb Atkinson starting at centre and Will Muir on the wing. Among the replacements, back row forward Guy Pepper is in line to win his first cap from the bench.

“We’re excited to be playing in Argentina and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side,” said Borthwick.

“Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, they come into this series as favourites. They’re brilliantly led by Julián Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge.”

On George Ford’s milestone, Borthwick added: “George has been a standout player for over a decade. Reaching 100 caps is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about both the professional and the person he is. Everyone in the squad is incredibly proud to share this moment with him.”

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Argentina by 10 points

Teams: 

Argentina: 15 Benjamin Elizalde, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Fair Piccardo, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Juan Martín González, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Lucas Paulos, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 1 Mayco Vivas.
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Santiago Grondona, 20 Joaquín Moro, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Nicolás Roger, 23 Matías Moroni.

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Will Muir, 10 George Ford (co-captain), 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ben Currie, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Charlie Ewels, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (co-captain), 1 Fin Baxter.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Cadan Murley.

Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata
Kick-off: 16.40 (20.40 England time; 19.40 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)