England v Argentina: Key talking points ahead of Twickenham Test
Last Updated: 26/11/16 1:44pm
England coach Eddie Jones may have said that Argentina were the second-best team in the Rugby Championship but the truth is that they are limping into Twickenham hollow-eyed with exhaustion.
To say it's been a long year for the Pumas is a bit of an understatement - most of the squad play for the Super Rugby side the Jaguares and have been collecting air miles since January.
Expectation was high in the Pumas camp after a promising Rugby Championship that saw them beat South Africa and push New Zealand close - well for 50 minutes anyway.
However, one win against Japan and losses to Wales and Scotland have not been the results they wanted on their end-of-year tour. They will head to Twickenham desperately needing a win to not only get back on track but also to boost their rankings ahead of the World Cup draw in May.
A win looks like a tough ask against an England side brimming with confidence. Under Jones, they have won 11 games in a row - 12 including their final World Cup game against Uruguay - and are firm favourites to make it 13 in a row.
Where will the game be won or lost? We look at the key areas.
The scrum
Argentina love a scrum and bring a bit of excitement to the battle with their 'Bajada' technique which directs all the force onto the opposing hooker.
They key is in the way the second row binds - around the props waist rather than between the legs - and a combined effort, called by the scrum-half, centres the pressure onto the man in the middle.
Dylan Hartley will look to his two props Dan Coles and Mako Vunipola to exert their pressure onto their opposite numbers to try and negate the power of the Pumas. He will also be up against the tireless Agustín Creevy, who will certainly raise his game one more time in 2016.
England's pack have gone well this autumn and have won the physical battle in the set-piece. Argentina will give them a solid test though, and whoever wins the physical battle will have a huge bearing on the outcome of this game.
Defence
As well as having a pretty imposing physical presence, Argentina have added flair and an attacking game plan to their armoury. It was certainly evident in last year's World Cup where they made it to the semi-finals but there are times when they have thrown the ball around a bit too much which has cost them dearly. However, Pumas scrum-half Tomas Cubelli is adamant that their adventurous game is the way forward and their best chance for a win against England.
The Pumas will be looking for a high tempo, possession-based approach and will try to stop England from counter attacking by applying as much pressure on them as possible.
Despite their wins, Jones has called for England to tighten up their defence after conceding what he called 'soft tries' against South Africa and Fiji. Argentina have plenty of exciting runners with the likes of Joaquin Tuculet and Santiago Cordero in their ranks.
The Pumas will also need to be at their best defensively - England's back line ran amok against Fiji with their strong running lines, spatial awareness and offloading game.
Back rows
Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Billy Vunipola will be up against the excellent Pablo Matera, Javier Ortega Desio and Leonardo Senatore.
Senatore is a bit of a surprise inclusion in the place of Facundo Isa, who was one of the players of the Rugby Championship and will no doubt make an impact off the bench. Senatore made the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was banned for 10-weeks for biting an opponent during the Super Rugby season but is a canny operator and his tussle with the big ball-carrying Vunipola will be immense.
Fly-half battle
With Nicholas Sanchez ruled out due to injury the talented Juan Martín Hernández moves from No 12 to the No 10 jersey - his preferred position.
Hernández, who has tasted victory against England twice before - 2006 at Twickenham and 2009 in Salta - is one of the most talented and creative footballers around and his game management will be key for Argentina.
George Ford is no slouch himself and has stamped his authority on England's game plan with commanding performances. Jones is a huge fan of Ford's and believes he is better than New Zealand's world player of the year Beauden Barrett.
Bench
One of the reasons Jones called Argentina the second best team in the Rugby Championship was because of their performance against New Zealand. Okay, New Zealand eventually run out 57-22 winners but at the 50-minute mark the score was 24-22 and the final score did not reflect just how good the Pumas were.
It was the All Blacks bench that did the damage as they came on and took the tiring Pumas to the sword. England will be looking for the same impact from their bench especially from the replacement front row of Jamie George, Joe Marler and Kyle Sinckler.
A fifty-minute game will not be good enough for Argentina. They need to go the distance and that will come down to his subs. They have been massively competitive and the likes of scrum-half Martin Landajo and No 8 Isa will have to make sure the intensity remains the same if they come off the bench.
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jonny May, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Courtney Lawes, 5 George Kruis, 6 Chris Robshaw, 7 Tom Wood, 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Teimana Harrison, 21 Danny Care, 22 Ben Te'o, 23 Henry Slade.
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Orlando, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Santiago Cordero; 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Tomás Cubelli; 1 Lucas Noguera, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 3 Ramiro Herrera, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Matías Alemanno, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 8 Leonardo Senatore.
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Facundo Isa, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Jerónimo De la Fuente, 23 Juan Pablo Estelles
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