England team to play Argentina in 2nd Summer Test: Guy Pepper starts

Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 10:46

byCharlie Elliott

England's second Test in their tour of the Americas is set to take place this weekend, with their second and final game against Argentina being played in San Juan on Saturday.

Steve Borthwick's side surprised many and convincingly beat Los Pumas in the first Test, with a 35-12 win in Buenos Aires telling the story of just how dominant they were for large portions of the game. George Ford put in a stunning performance which ended with 15 points scored from his boot in his 100th appearance for his nation.

With the tourists having already exceeded expectations in many ways, this second Test could end up being used more as an experiment for Borthwick to try out some new players and tweak his playstyle slightly, as the pressure is now well and truly off. Ten uncapped players were selected in the original squad, with a couple starting last weekend and there could be some new faces in the side for this upcoming game.

Henry Slade was the only key injury from the first game and the centre will miss the rest of the tour with a hand injury sustained during the match, although he did manage to play through it and do the full 80. There is a lot of speculation as to who Borthwick will pick and how he will lineup tactically and here is the England team that we predict that he will pick for the second Test against Los Pumas.

BACK THREE

15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)

14. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)

11. Cadan Murley (Harlequins)

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The back three is expected to not produce too many changes, given some decent performances across the board from Steward, Roebuck and Will Muir, who all started the first Test. Given that this tour is mainly for development and not exclusively results driven, Borthwick may wish to try out some slightly new tactics in attack.

It was a very aerial back three in the first game, and starting Cadan Murley instead of Muir could help slightly in terms of changing things and being a bit more expansive. Muir was also the weakest of the three in the first game, despite still putting in a solid performance in his first Test start.

With last weekend marking only his second Test game in an England shirt, and being only a 20-minute cameo, Borthwick may want to have more of a look at the Harlequin to see if he is up to the demands of international rugby. His short spell on the pitch did produce an expertly taken try and was a big reason why we've opted for him to start this week.

CENTRES

13. Max Ojomoh (Bath)

12. Seb Atkinson (Gloucester)

The big news out of camp this week was Henry Slade's confirmed hand injury, which will see him miss the rest of the tour. Borthwick made an interesting decision by opting against selecting a replacement, meaning that England's centres now have an even greater opportunity to stake their claim going forward.

It was already seen as a tour for emerging talent in this position but now Slade is gone, that is the case even more now. Atkinson played decently in the first game and showed a lot of potential, but lacked a bit of end product. He showed plenty of endeavour and didn't do enough to lose his shirt, so will be expected to stay at 12 this week.

Currently uncapped Ojomoh could be next in line, and this game might well be one that fans look back on in years to come as a defining moment for both him and England. With Ollie Lawrence's injury leaving the side thin in this position and there not really being any other players who are world class lining up, Ojomoh looks set to fill that gap.

After an impressive season for Bath, he deserved his selection into the squad and may well take his chance with both hands. An intelligent player that knows how to find a line and run into it, Ojomoh could be the more direct presence to compliment the hard work and playmaking of Atkinson. This partnership would be very exciting for fans to see as well.

HALFBACKS

10. George Ford (Sale Sharks)

9. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

George Ford put in an absolute masterclass in his 100th appearance and is so crucial both on and off the pitch for this side. He is not only a brilliant player, but he is almost like a coach on the field, such is his leadership skills. For that reason, there is no reason why he won't start again. Ben Spencer didn't have too much joy at scrum-half, largely due to the tactics, and didn't have much impact on proceedings.

His instructions were to box kick it seemed and he did that well, but didn't really contribute elsewhere. Jack van Poortvliet as a player tends to be slightly more ambitious with his play and if Borthwick wants to go away from the kicking game of the first game, JVP could be his man.

The Leicester Tiger likely won't play if the style of play stays the same, but given that England have already exceeded expectations by winning the first Test, this game may be an opportunity to try some new things with little pressure on the result itself. Spencer isn't getting any younger and it is worth cementing a second scrum-half to be behind Alex Mitchell in the pecking order going forward.

FRONT ROW

1. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)

2. Jamie George (Saracens)

3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)

Like Ford, George bought plenty of experience and put in a big shift, so massively deserves another start. Heyes was brilliant at tighthead with a lot of joy at scrum time and he clearly had the edge over Mayco Vivas, with an assist for Tom Roebuck capping off a strong performance. The only change predicted is at loosehead and is not because of a poor game, Fin Baxter played well, but because Rodd and Heyes may be an even more punishing front row.

Baxter and Rodd are both very good players and will likely get plenty of England appearances under their belts going forward, at only 23 and 24, so splitting their gametime now and seeing who plays better would be a smart move to opt for. Instead of putting their eggs in one basket, it means that both can prove themselves at Test level and potentially play their way into a shirt, with Ellis Genge away with the Lions.

LOCKS

4. Charlie Ewels (Bath)

5. Arthur Clark (Gloucester)

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Ewels and Alex Coles looked like they complimented each other well, as the power of the former was balanced out by the mobility of the latter. There was something lacking with Coles' performance though, he just didn't seem to have the x-factor that a Test lock should have.

That is why he looks set to be benched by Gloucester player Arthur Clark, who would make his first start for his country, having not even been on the bench for the first game.

It will be tough out in South America and despite the decent amount of time for recovery, bringing in a completely fresh face would be worth its weight in gold. Clark has been in great form all season for Gloucester and at only 23 years old, would be one to watch for the future. A very solid second row who does the basics extremely well, on paper he should suit Test rugby.

BACK ROW

6. Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)

7. Guy Pepper (Bath)

8. Tom Willis (Saracens)

The England back row is such a strong position and is stacked with depth, even with a couple of players away on Lions duty. Willis was the best forward on the pitch against Los Pumas and far outshone his flankers, Curry and Sam Underhill, on the night.

Underhill is predicted to be dropped to the bench for teammate Guy Pepper, for whom it would be his first Test start. Pepper is a breakdown specialist, which is an attribute that Borthwick seems to absolutely love. It would also send a message to Underhill that he needs to be at the top of his game in every appearance, as he really failed to make an impact on the weekend.

Curry was another slight underperformer on the weekend but given his obvious quality and form for Sale Sharks and England previously, does not look to be at risk of losing his No.6 shirt. Cunningham-South shifting to the back row to get some more minutes may do that, but aside from that, it is unlikely.

REPLACEMENTS

Curtis Langdon (Northampton Saints)
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
Sam Underhill (Bath)
Ben Spencer (Bath)
Will Muir (Bath)

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