England vs. Argentina: The Key Battles
England and Argentina meet for the third time this year on Saturday, with all the omens pointing to a comfortable England win.
A side denuded of Lions—both those originally picked and the battalion subsequently called up as injury cover—impressed hugely with a 2-0 series win in the Pumas’ back yard over the summer.
Now, an England side still missing a few first-choice names but looking to build on an unspectacular win over Australia, face the South Americans shorn of arguably their three best players.
Felipe Contepomi has retired, Juan Martin Hernandez is injured and he is joined by the totemic captain Juan Martin Fenandez Lobbe on the treatment table. Those still standing have been through the mangle of a chastening second season in the Rugby Championship.
Frankly, if it isn’t a handsome margin of victory for England on Saturday, it will disappointing for the Red Rose fans. Having seen Australia rack up 54 points against the Pumas, and having dispatched the Aussies themselves last weekend, it’s time to turn it on for Stuart Lancaster’s men.
Let’s have a look at the key battles.
Midfield
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The retention of Billy Twelvetrees and Joel Tomkins gives them another chance to prove their combination can click in a game that should at least see them given more ball to work with.
Tomkins goes head to head with new Saracens team mate Marcelo Bosch, who was one of the Pumas' most impressive players during the Rugby Championship.
With Nicolas Sanchez at No. 10 for Argentina, they will look to play very flat in attack and bring their hard running back rowers and centres through the middle, so it will be a test for Twelvetrees' tackling technique that proved so fallible at the key moment against Australia.
David Wilson vs Marcos Ayerza
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The Newcastle-born Wilson has waited patiently for his chance, this being only the sixth start in 29 caps for the man who now plies his trade at Bath.
Against the experienced Leicester man Marcos Ayerza he has the perfect chance to show what he can do.
You don’t amass 45 caps for the Pumas or 117 Premiership appearances as a Tiger if you’re not one of the best loose heads in the business.
Wilson’s huge frame is to his advantage under the new scrummaging laws and he will need to make sure he capitalizes on that if he can prove he is ready to usurp the consistent Dan Cole as England’s No. 1 No. 3.
Not that the obdurate Ayerza will give a fig about that.
The Bath-Leicester rivalry is one of rugby’s fiercest, longest-running feuds and this little sub-plot will be no less hotly contested in international colours.
It could go a long way to determining the complexion of this game.
Billy Vunipola vs Juan Manuel Leguizamon
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Billy Vunipola made one of the most impressive home debuts we have seen for a long time at Twickenham last week.
His carrying was strong, impactful and deployed sparingly enough for him not to become too predictable.
On the opposite side this weekend he faces a vastly more experienced opponent in Juan Manuel Leguizamon who has been there, done that and bought the XXL T-Shirt.
The former London Irish man always plays well against England and loves nothing more than charging headlong into the opposition.
He has the added responsibility of captaining the side in the absence of Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and you sense he will lead by actions rather than tactical acumen.
Each of these men will be looking to create some eye-catching moments on Saturday, and any one-on-one collisions should give the Twickenham foundations a decent workout.
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Joe Launchbury vs Patricio Albacete
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Two totem poles from opposite ends of the experience spectrum provide one of Saturday’s most mouthwatering head-to-heads.
Joe Launchbury has the look of a teenager who has just shambled out of his pit after a decent night out, while Patricio Albacete betrays the presence of a henchman for the mob. He wouldn’t look ill at ease donned in a pinstripe suit wielding a Tommy Gun.
Alongside Courtney Lawes, Launchbury deposited further credit in his account last weekend with a strong showing in defence, good work at the breakdown and flashes of intelligent support lines we saw plenty of in his breakthrough season.
In that sense, he is treading in the footsteps of Albacete, who has been exhibiting all those qualities for a number of years for Toulouse and the Pumas.
The battle for lineout supremacy will be an intriguing one, but more crucially, with the way Argentina like to pile numbers in at the breakdown, whichever man can have most influence on ensuring the ball is recycled quickly and cleanly will prove a valuable asset to their side.
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