England player ratings vs Argentina | July 2025

England player ratings:  England produced one of the best performances of the Steve Borthwick era to beat Argentina 35-12 in La Plata on Saturday.

It was a performance defined by defence, particularly in the first half, with England holding a slender 3-0 lead at the break.

The visitors worked through the gears in the second 40, with plenty of standout performances.

Here’s how the player rated:

15. Freddie Steward – 7.5
A misdirected grubber kick could have been far more costly when the Pumas hacked it on, but it wasn’t a bad idea from the full-back against a stubborn defence. Started the second half with a nice, albeit rudimentary, pass to Tom Roebuck for his try and then picked a lovely line to cross for his own try soon after. Has a nice relationship with Roebuck. Not as reliable in the air as usual, but that is partly because he has set an insuperable standard for himself.

14. Tom Roebuck – 8.5
The Sale wing’s charge-down gave England the field position to earn their first points through George Ford’s drop goal. His kick chase and aerial strength was handy when England were down to 13 men. Will be disappointed by a knock-on when England were in a promising position. Made amends with a strong finish in the corner shortly after the half-time break. Crossed again for England’s third, though it was just a case of dotting down.

13. Henry Slade – 6
Ate a monstrous hit from Rodrigo Isgro in the opening 10 minutes which forced a knock-on. Produced a handful of his own astute defensive reads though which were just important. Seldom had any time and space in attack though, in what was a quiet game with a few handling errors.

12. Seb Atkinson – 7
Making his debut after a solid outing for England XV against France XV and found himself in the sin bin after a quarter of the match. With that said, it was due to an accumulation of infringements. Was effectively like another forward in England’s staunch defensive stand, with 17 tackles to his name.

11. Will Muir – 7.5
Another debutant in the XV but looked more than comfortable. A punchy carry gave England momentum in their first sustained attack in the Argentina 22. A reliable option to chase kicks, which is not necessarily what he would have wanted to do, but it was needed when England were down to 13. Wasn’t rewarded with a try, but played an important part in both Roebuck tries – first with a strong carry off the lineout, and then some slick hands at high speed for the second.

10. George Ford – 8
Dictated proceedings with his boot – shown perfectly in the build-up to his drop goal with his probing kick to the corner. In a tight first half, his drop goal was just enough to give his side the mental edge, and then he turned it up a gear in the second half, turning to the boot far less. The timing and precision of his pass for Steward’s try was scrumptious. Near-flawless from the tee.

9. Ben Spencer – 7
Had a first half that was defined by his box kicking and helping England try and gain some territory. Came alive in the second half though, playing with greater tempo and wrapping round on occasion to operate as another playmaker.

1. Fin Baxter – 8
There’s just so much to love about the Harlequin’s work around the field, clocking 17 tackles in 56 minutes. These aren’t soft tackles either, he put one big shot on Facundo Isa and another on Mayco Vivas, as well as bouncing Pablo Matera when carrying.

2. Jamie George – 9
A not straight lineout may have been the only mistake made by the co-captain. In a first half where England were defending for the most part, England’s co-captain topped the tackle charts for the half with 16 and made a further five in the second half. Part of two huge efforts to hold a Puma up over the line when England were on the ropes, particularly against the robust from of Pedro Delgado.

3. Joe Heyes – 8
Earned a scrum penalty when it looked an even contest in that department and produced another huge shunt early in the second half to earn another penalty, which laid the platform for England’s second try. Worked in tandem with Baxter to force a knock-on from opposite man Vivas, in what was an industrious defensive performance. Added an assist to his game when quickly popped to Roebuck from the breakdown. 12 tackles in 56 minutes is a good return from a 126kg prop. Will be challenging Will Stuart for that No.3 jersey when he returns.

4. Charlie Ewels – 6
Looked like he was handling Argentina’s kick-offs well, which, if anyone has been watching the British & Irish Lions tour, is no mean feat. Then he dislocated his finger fluffing one catch. Was part of England’s defensive effort and exerted pressure on the Pumas lineout.

5. Alex Coles – 6.5
Body height all wrong for his first half yellow card and found himself brushed aside by Isgro soon after coming back on. Missed another tackle on Thomas Gallo leading to a Pumas break. But his attitude and energy cannot be faulted, producing 17 tackles.

6. Ben Curry – 7
A return of 14 tackles should not be sniffed at, though this maybe was not Curry at his all-action best as he made a return from a hamstring injury.

7. Sam Underhill – 8
Spearheaded England’s furious line speed, clamping on to any carrier he got close to and finishing with 17 tackles in just over an hour on the field. In a display defined by defence, it is unsurprising Underhill played a starring role.

8. Tom Willis – 9.5
Sensational performance. His Herculean 20 carries during his hour on the field means many may gloss over his 17 tackles, but both were heroic. Add to his display a couple of turnovers on the floor, and that was not the only great work he made on the ground as he held a try up from close range when England were down a man in the pack.

Points Flow Chart

England win +23

Time in lead

0

Mins in lead

62

0%

% Of Game In Lead

78%

44%

Possession Last 10 min

56%

0

Points Last 10 min

7

Replacements
16. Theo Dan – N/A
Was only given a few minutes at the end.

17. Bevan Rodd – 6
Dependable, if quiet from the bench.

18. Asher Opoku-Fordjour – 6
A quiet cameo from the bench, though it did include one scrum which gave England a penalty advantage.

19. Chandler Cunningham-South – 6
Becoming an increasingly reliable lineout option for England, which is fundamental if they will continue playing him in the second-row. Nothing of note in his short cameo while Ewels was being treated.

20. Guy Pepper – 6
Came on for his debut and was a dog at the breakdown as Argentina tried to keep hold of the ball and chase the game.

21. Alex Dombrandt – 7
Helped maintain England’s high line speed around the breakdown and got a nice turnover.

22. Jack van Poortvliet – 6.5
Came on when the game had become far looser and Argentina were becoming desperate, so perhaps struggled to control the game as well as Spencer did. With that sad, he kicked a nice 50:22.

23. Cadan Murley – 7
Made some strong carries on the left flank and was rewarded with a try in the closing stages.