LONG READ Five pointers as England aim to maintain psychological ‘stranglehold’ over Pumas

If England can manage to inflict a measure of revenge on Argentina for their football counterparts’ defeat in the Fifa World Cup semi-final this weekend, it will be their sixth successive win over the Pumas.

England’s recent record against Argentina is better than that of any other nation – including world champions South Africa.

The stranglehold they have exerted in the fixture of late extends back to a 30-29 defeat at Twickenham in November 2022.

England hold the psychological edge – especially as two of those victories were picked up in Argentina last summer, in the absence of a clutch of Lions.

A repeat of their fast start against Fiji last weekend will be at the top of Steve Borthwick’s wish-list in Santiago del Estero.

His hope must be that if they do get ahead early – as they did at home when the sides last met eight months ago, they don’t follow the example of the Three Lions and collapse like a badly-prepared soufflé.

The England head coach had better get his substitutions right then….

Keeping Caluori on bench a missed opportunity

England have plenty of firepower on their bench, spearheaded by Henry Pollock and Noah Caluori.

Borthwick has resisted the clarion calls to start Pollock, but it feels like not giving Noah Caluori a run from the start against Argentina is an equally big missed chance.

The teenage Saracen looked to the manor born on his debut off the bench against Fiji last weekend with a try and an assist for Henry Slade in his cameo.

If Borthwick has any intention of taking Caluori to the World Cup next year – and the England head coach should be thinking along those lines given the impression he has made since arriving in senior rugby – he ought to be maximising his exposure to the Test arena, not giving him a few minutes here or there.

This weekend’s match is the perfect hot-housing opportunity. The backdrop at the E Madre De Ciudades stadium will be nothing like he has ever come across before. But Caluori, who seems to go to the same supplier as Pollock as far as confidence goes, has hardly looked like a shrinking violet when confronted with something new so far in his career. He scored five tries on his Prem debut at Sale.

While the continuity argument is a coherent one with Borthwick naming an unchanged team, a minor tweak to allow Caluori a first Test start would have been a better long-term play.

Who knows if he will be ready in time for Australia 2027, but sitting on the bench for an hour is not going to fast-track the process.

Classy Slade ‘keeps on coming back’

He isn’t the Henry who demands the spotlight in the England set-up, but you can’t help but respect and admire Henry Slade.

The Exeter centre will finish a season in which he was a forgotten figure in the Six Nations as the first-choice England No 13 – a revival which is testament to his resilience.

Slade did not play a single minute in the championship but a storming end to the season with the Chiefs enabled the 33-year-old to force his way back into the national side.

It isn’t the first time he has fallen out of favour, but he keeps on coming back. Perhaps when you have spent a career managing diabetes, going in and out of selection fashion is put into a greater degree of perspective.

Slade is an understated midfielder but a consistently high-quality one. Rarely showy, always classy.

This weekend against Argentina he will win his 77th cap, 11 years on from his debut.

After being omitted from Borthwick’s squad for the 2023 World Cup, he is nailed on to make it to Australia 2027.

Martin Test career ‘back on track’

George Martin will start his third Test in a row in Santiago del Estero after missing the previous 14 through injury.

The Leicester powerhouse’s return to the England engine room has been one of the most welcome sights of the summer.

The prospect of Martin operating in tandem with Maro Itoje when the England captain is back from his R and R is one which should excite Red Rose followers

Martin’s barrelling touchline run for a try at Ellis Park a fortnight ago announced his international return with the resonance of a giant dinner gong. He was also at the heart of the forward demolition job done on Fiji. After a frustrating interruption, his international career is back on track.

The prospect of Martin operating in tandem with Maro Itoje when the England captain is back from his R and R is one which should excite followers of the Red Rose.

‘Different animal’ Heyes will relish Pumas reunion

Once upon a time, a trip to Argentina would have been rated the ultimate test for a front-row forward.

The legendary scrum prowess of the Pumas and the importance placed upon it meant opposition props knew they were in for an exacting challenge.

Times change and Argentina are no longer the market leaders at scrum time; indeed it is an area where England will hope to eke out an advantage this weekend.

Tight-head prop Joe Heyes, England’s men’s player of the year, has happy memories of taking on Argentina from last summer’s tour. It was where he emerged from his chrysalis as a Test player and showed just what an asset he could be to England.

He came back from Argentina a different animal in terms of his self-belief.

It says everything about the way the deep-thinking Leicester prop has grown in stature since that Will Stuart – still fighting his way back from a torn Achilles tendon – has not been missed by England.

Van Poortvliet needs strong outing with McParland ‘lurking’

If it is entering the last-chance saloon for players to break into Borthwick’s World Cup thinking, one player who could yet do so is Archie McParland.

The 21-year-old, who was brought up in North Wales, has bolter potential.

Alex Mitchell’s understudy at Northampton would have been part of the Nations Championship squad but for a leg laceration suffered in the Prem final.

While a fit Mitchell is a Shoe Army shoe-in for England, a second Saints scrum-half could make it to Australia as well.

McParland’s ability to make things happen with his sniping and support play has caught the eye of Steve Borthwick this season.

Jack van Poortvliet has the shirt once more against the Pumas, but he needs to put his best foot forward this weekend given the threat lurking in the background.

The Tigers scrum-half had a good game against Fiji behind a dominant pack until he was replaced but Argentina, whatever England’s recent dominance over them, will be a different proposition.