England player ratings vs Argentina: Borthwick's men triumph again

Saturday, 12 July 2025 at 22:48

byHarrison Clifford

This was no friendly. England and Argentina clashed in a test match steeped in historical edge, both politically and in sport. With echoes of Maradona and ‘the Hand of God’ ringing out in the background, it was George Ford’s calm boot and Jack van Poortvliet’s late heroics that sealed it for the Red Rose.

Ford leads from the front
With Owen Farrell away on Lions duty, it was all eyes on George Ford—and boy, did he deliver. A captain’s performance in every sense. Composed, ruthless, and tactically spot-on. Hi

s kicking game kept the visitors marching forward and set the tone from the start.

Argentina fight fire with fire
Despite an early try from Seb Atkinson, the Pumas didn’t lie down. A brilliant effort from Lucio Cinti and a clever finish from Mendy gave the hosts the half-time edge. England fans were made to sweat after a Stewart fumble in the in-goal area gifted Argentina their second try just before the break.

The decider
It was an arm wrestle after that. England dominated territory, but Los Pumas held firm—until the 78th minute. With tired bodies everywhere, Van Poortvliet crashed over from close range to steal it at the death. It wasn’t pretty. But it was enough.

England Scores

Tries: Seb Atkinson (3’), Freddie Stewart (32’), Jack Van Poortvliet (78’)
Conversions: George Ford (4’, 33’)
Penalties: George Ford (52’)

Argentina Scores

Tries: Lucio Cinti (26’), Ignacio Mendy (39’)
Conversions: Santiago Carreras (27’, 40’)
Penalties: Santiago Carreras (8’)

⭐ England Player Ratings vs Argentina

15. Freddie Steward – 7/10

Brilliant in getting involved in rucks, and not hiding at the back. He played brilliantly in support on the wing to give himself no opposition and score England's second try. Not only a high baller but challenging himself with kicking skill that almost led to a third try. An error in collecting the ball in the in-goal area led to the Pumas leading at half time.

14. Tom Roebuck – 7/10

Brilliant at playing the ball off the ground, but was trying too hard to show flair with interceptions when just getting involved in a tackle would have been just as good. He got more involved in the second half physically and it helped put pressure on the Argentine side.

Brilliant physicality in defence and support in attack to score England their first try. Errors in the visiting home in-goal area cost greatly, but he didn’t dwell on it and made an effort to rectify.

13. Luke Northmore – 4/10

A rather underwhelming performance because I can't remember a single thing that Northmore did. No runs, no tackles, no impact on the game. No more to be said. Maybe it was first-cap nerves?

12. Seb Atkinson – 9/10

Much improvement in discipline this week, and excellent support lines to get the first points of the game. Brilliant effort at chasing wherever the ball was. His work rate was one of the best on the pitch, and it wouldn’t surprise if we saw more of Seb Atkinson post Lions tour England fixtures.

An excellent performance that can potentially lead to future appearances post lions tour. Great work ethic, and footwork in chasing the ball. Defence was textbook and attack was a dream.

11. Will Muir (off at 61) – 9/10

Great pressure in the air and purposefully getting in the Puma eye-line to force errors. Great at catching the high ball and gaining some yards with his kicking game. A brilliant force in the second half, working very well with George Ford in chasing high balls, and a brilliant kicking game.

Great pressure in the air and getting in the Puma eye-line. Catching was no issue, and his kicking game was spot on. A team up with George ford which worked excellently, especially in the second half.

10. George Ford (Captain) – 9/10

George Ford understands that the Red Rose is more than one man, and even more so about the captaincy. His calm and collected approach led to a great kicking game and massive yardage which benefited England.

9. Ben Spencer (off at 61) – 6.5/10

Changing from a high ball tactic to a low ball tactic did put pressure on the Pumas. Sometimes put the team at risk by not getting involved in scrums when he was the closest man on hand, but great at quick playing the ball.

1. Finn Baxter (off 57) – 7/10

Someone who’s going to be massive in the next Rugby World Cup. A brilliant forward who isn’t afraid to go against veterans who he probably watched and admired growing up. Prioritising getting the ball back and playing it to the visitor side is a simple yet so effective skill that Baxter did brilliantly.

A brilliant forward who plays as if he’s been playing for England for years. Prioritising getting the ball is a simple and vital skill Baxter has almost mastered. His drive and power was essential in mauls, rucks, and tackles.

2. Theo Dan (off 48) – 7/10

Overthrown line-outs gave unnecessary pressure to England, but stepping into Jamie George’s shoes is NOT an easy task and Theo Dan did it with humility and professionalism. A moment of panic and frustration led to a high tackle from the hooker, but he acknowledged his error and was luckily not sent off. Injury led to him being replaced.

3. Joe Heyes (off 57) – 7/10

Being a prop is one of, if not the, hardest jobs on the pitch, especially in modern rugby. You’ve got to be the size of a house and much faster than previous generations. Heyes made great efforts to play where he needed to but could have made more of an effort in that defensive line.

4. Charlie Ewels – 4/10

Strong efforts in the scrum, but was sometimes too late in rucks – there wasn’t a lot of effect from his appearance. He found himself stood at the side of rucks rather than head-on involved.

Ewels was strong and level in the scrum. But when it came to the field of play there wasn’t a lot of effort in the rucks and mauls, almost standing next to them rather than being in them. Something to think about for the next fixture?

5. Alex Coles – 6.5/10

Excellent height in tackles, forcing errors from the Pumas. There was an effort at charging the ball down at the ruck when he wasn’t involved, but some lacking speed and jumping the gun led to them being ineffective.

6. Ben Curry – 6/10

A baller! Excellent offloads and sometimes overlooked in favour of his brother, Tom Curry. Taking favour of a tackle technique that would be seen in Rugby League led to Curry being sent off with a yellow card; it remained a yellow – Curry made sure not to make the same mistake twice.

7. Sam Underhill – 6/10

Always a pleasure to watch, and almost a shame he’s not on the Lions tour. Underhill made an excellent performance, but some errors in the middle led to the Argentinians making their way into the visiting half and scoring tries. Overeagerness led to handling errors. His skills in rucks were shown better in the second half.

8. Tom Willis (off at 65) – 8/10

A powerhouse on legs. Powerful, strong, and menacing. Not someone you would want to see charging at you in a dark alley, especially on a rugby pitch. It took four Argentinians to get the back rower down, and he continued it through his performance.

Replacements

16. Curtis Langdon (on 48) – 7/10

Very good at holding the ball in during tackles, and giving an offload to continue play. Excellent power in the mauls after a line-out, leading towards the try line with the help of the forwards pack. A brilliant takeover in controlling the forward pack.

17. Bevan Rodd (on 57) – 6/10

Awesome defensive support, pushing Van Poortvliet closer towards that goal area for those extra yards. Those yards can be the difference between winning and losing. Rodd played a brilliant game and he will no doubt be back.

18. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (on 57) – 6/10

He played well taking over from Finn Baxter, and sometimes that is all that is needed. Knowing when to do what you’re good at. But a phenomenal run in the last few minutes.

19. Chandler Cunningham-South – 5/10

Underused in this fixture. Hopefully we’ll see more of Cunningham-South against the USA, or even the autumn internationals.

20. Guy Pepper – 7/10

Excellent at noticing the weakness in the Argentine defence that gave him some great runs. It was such a shame about the tap tackle.

21. Alex Dombrandt (on at 65) – 6/10

A brilliant effort and shift for the England player. He played where he was needed, and he did it with no fuss. It was a commendable show, and he should be proud.

22. Jack van Poortvliet (on at 61) – 8/10

As soon as he’s on, he’s running headfirst into mauls just to help out his teammates — something that was missing from Ben Spencer. Very impressive with his physicality in defence as well as his ball playing, if not more so. Taking more of a forward role than a scrum-half, but was very much needed. His excellent support gave England the try!

23. Cadan Murley (on at 61) – 7/10

Marvellous run that threw off the home side and allowed Pepper to get the limelight for his. Unlucky on not getting to that last tackle before the mark was called, but didn’t stop him from keeping up the effort until the end.

? Final Whistle:

A gritty test match that will please England’s coaches more than fans. Ford’s leadership, Atkinson’s hunger, and Van Poortvliet’s guts made the difference. Argentina battled hard but came up short. A test match that will be remembered for its edge—and its ending.

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