How England Can Close Out Series Win In Argentina

Second Test: Argentina v England

Date: Saturday, 12 July Kick-off: 20:40 BST Venue: Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario

Coverage: Live matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Before England near for Argentina, caput coach Steve Borthwick called nan odds. He proclaimed that nan Pumas – higher successful nan world rankings and pinch a clutch of high-profile scalps to their sanction - were favourites for nan series.

That's changed.

England's superb 35-12 win successful nan first Test successful La Plata propelled Borthwick's broadside supra nan hosts successful nan rankings.

Markets still person Argentina arsenic favourites for nan 2nd Test but only now by nan width of a betting slip.

So really tin a young, inexperienced England, without 13 Lions, backmost up their triumph and adjacent retired a seminal bid win?

On a travel that has included visits to Boca Juniors' location crushed and Buenos Aires' celebrated Palermo Hipodromo racecourse, England person besides been hosted astatine a traditional, meat-mountain 'asado' barbecue.

The beforehand statement mightiness request that protein.

After being much than matched astatine nan set-piece successful nan first Test, nan hosts person beefed up their beforehand five.

First-choice loose-head prop Thomas Gallo is backmost successful nan starting line-up pinch nan 40-year-old wiles of Francisco Gomez Kodela connected nan different broadside of nan beforehand statement and Guido Petti successful nan second-row motor room.

England gave travelling journalists a uncommon penetration into a full-bore training convention this week, external. One of nan drills progressive nan 8 starters scrumming against a 10-strong pack.

"If we're playing against a squad which scrummages for penalties, and a dense pack, past I'll spell 10 versus 8 and person a longer clip nether tension," said scrum coach Tom Harrison.

England are prepared.

Luke Northmore was not nan evident replacement for injured Henry Slade.

His Harlequins team-mate Oscar Beard is simply a much earthy extracurricular centre. Max Ojomoh started astatine 13 for Bath successful their Premiership last triumph complete Leicester past month.

But Borthwick alternatively has opted for Northmore's hard-running physicality alongside Seb Atkinson successful midfield.

England will miss Slade's playmaking nous. But he wasn't ever cardinal to nan backline's slickest moments successful La Plata.

Tom Roebuck's 2nd effort was group successful mobility by Atkinson's impeccable pull-back walk and Freddie Steward clinging connected to a walk astir his hips.

Steward's ain effort was created by George Ford's daring miss-pass crossed nan look of nan Pumas' defence.

Northmore's situation will beryllium to bring his brute unit and while keeping that attack, being overseen by Bath adjunct coach Lee Blackett successful nan absence of Lions adjunct Richard Wigglesworth, flowing smoothly.

While Blackett is looking aft attack, Sale Sharks' Byron McGuigan is helping retired regular defence coach Joe El-Abd.

England person been varying nan perspective of nan accelerator pedal complete nan past year, trying to find a equilibrium betwixt raw, rabid statement velocity which cuts down guidance abstraction and a coherent style that denies them holes to exploit.

In nan first Test successful La Plata, location was a small much state and go-forward compared to nan Six Nations and, together pinch immoderate gutsy goal-line rearguard, it worked brilliantly.

Argentina created 2 tries pinch crisp heads-up rugby.

England short-staffed nan blindside by 1 man connected halfway and paid nan value pinch Pedro Rubiolo's effort – but specified opportunities were rare.

One of England's prima performers successful nan first Test, number 8 Tom Willis, outshone nan Pumas' stellar back-row trio of Pablo Matera, Facundo Isa and Saracens' team-mate Juan Martin Gonzalez.

He was furiously industrious connected either broadside of nan ball, pinch a bottomless appetite for nan unsmooth stuff.

He carried remorselessly, made 21 tackles and won 2 turnovers successful a figurehead individual performance.

By nan extremity of nan Six Nations, Borthwick was favouring a speedy, low-slung crushed crippled successful his backmost row, pinch Ben Earl astatine number 8 betwixt nan Curry brothers.

If Willis tin nutrient again astatine nan levels he demonstrated successful La Plata though, he will beryllium difficult to displacement retired of nan team.

The spot of England's chair has been questioned this year. In theory, pinch 13 players connected work successful Australia, it should beryllium nether moreover much pressure.

However, England vanished connected nan beforehand ft successful nan first Test, pushing for much points alternatively than clinging connected for victory.

It is simply a young group of replacements - six of nan 8 are 24 aliases nether – and nan acquisition gained astatine nan business extremity of a Test bid successful beforehand of a loud, distant support will beryllium priceless.

Borthwick said astir this circuit being a chance to build and uncover Test-match temperament successful his youngsters. That attraction whitethorn beryllium astir acute connected these finishers.

Twenty-year-old Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who came nether unit successful Sale's Premiership semi-final conclusion by Leicester, will relish nan chance to beryllium himself.

Chandler Cummingham-South, who is attempting to adhd 2nd statement to his repertoire, needs to rediscover his rampaging best.

The surgery section and tired guidance mightiness suit nan all-court skills of Theo Dan, centrally-contracted, but 3rd prime astatine hooker down Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George.

Cadan Murley is exorcising nan ghosts of a difficult debut successful Dublin, while Jack van Poortvliet, who would person travelled to nan past World Cup arsenic England's first prime scrum-half but for a precocious injury, is pushing difficult to move up nan pecking order.