Lions tour summers cast a long shadow. The all-consuming interest around them pushes the international tours that run concurrently into a black void, out of which little information escapes to the outside world. These tours can turn out to be Aladdin’s caves, however.
England’s last Lion-less adventure to Argentina in 2017 yielded the blooding of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill – Eddie Jones’s ‘kamikaze kids’ who played such a key role in taking the side to a World Cup final in Japan two years later. If Steve Borthwick can discover a player or two capable of making a similar impression at the 2027 World Cup, the trip will have been worth its weight in gold.
Borthwick now knows the players he will be without for the upcoming tour, which also takes in a Test against the USA in Washington. Thirteen call-ups is a significant slab of talent to be without and the England head coach will have to box cleverly with his selection. A two-Test series against the Pumas on away soil would represent a sizeable challenge even with his full hand to play.
If Borthwick decides to treat it as a purely development opportunity then he and England could end up on the end of a mugging that could finish more careers than it starts. The trick will be to uncover a gem or two while at the same time remaining competitive. Look at the talent England still has available and there is no reason why they cannot balance that equation.
Borthwick, like every England coach, has an enviable quantity of players at his disposal. While that can sometimes be a selectorial problem given the difficulty in sifting through them all, it is a big help for a tour like this.
Andy Farrell has been kind enough to leave him some handy building blocks. Borthwick could, if he wanted, bolt a tour side together with a 101-cap hooker in Jamie George, a 99-cap stand-off in George Ford and a 77-cap centre in Henry Slade.
The back row is a really strong area with a potential trio of Underhill, Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Willis. Or if you don’t fancy that one Ted Hill, Ben Curry and Alfie Barbeary.
Then around that wall of experience he can add players of the quality of Manny Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank who would surely have been Lions had they been fit for the Six Nations.
At half-back, he has the option of partnering Ford with Jack van Poortvliet or Harry Randall.
George could have Joe Heyes and Fin Baxter propping either side of him in the front row.
A midfield partnership of Slade and the consistently underrated Fraser Dingwall would look solid enough.
The back row is a really strong area with a potential trio of Underhill, Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Willis. Or if you don’t fancy that one Ted Hill, Ben Curry and Alfie Barbeary.
The back three is stacked too. Joining Feyi-Waboso and Furbank, Borthwick could take his pick from Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck or Ollie Sleightholme – all of whom have played Test rugby this season. But, actually, the player who Borthwick should be looking to call up is Bath-bound Henry Arundell who will be available to England again when he finishes his season with Racing.
Arundell – who won ten caps before upping sticks and heading for the Top 14 – has something special in his greyhound’s speed. He is still only 22 and his commitments with Racing will be completed a fortnight before the tour warm-up game against a France XV at Twickenham on June 21. This would be perfect timing for a return.
It is only in the second row that England are thin. No Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum and the injured George Martin leaves them scrabbling around a little.
The lock Borthwick has highest hopes for, Racing’s Junior Kpoku, will be playing for England Under-20s in the World Championship. He is ineligible for the full side because the RFU’s ban on picking overseas-based players, applies at that level but not in the age groups. Figure that one out if you can.
The Toulon captain David Ribbans is also ruled out on geography grounds. Northampton’s Alex Coles is the next cab off the rank while England could also turn to Saracens’ Nick Isiekwe or even go back to Bath’s Charlie Ewels. Or they could push on with the experiment of converted back rows Cunningham-South or Hill in the engine room. That would come with hazard lights flashing against the Pumas pack though.
Promising props Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Afolabi Fasogbon, part of England’s World Championship-winning under-20s side last summer, are about ready for a taste of Test rugby.
This could be Hugh Tizard’s moment. The 25-year-old has been learning alongside the master in Itoje at Saracens since his switch from Harlequins and was part of the England A squad earlier this season.
If Tizard is one potential summer debutant there are a trio of other uncapped players who Borthwick should also be considering sprinkling into the England 23 against the Pumas next month.
Promising props Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Afolabi Fasogbon, part of England’s World Championship-winning under-20s side last summer, are about ready for a taste of Test rugby.
If Borthwick judges there is nothing to be gained from taking Slade he could look instead at Harlequins centre Oscar Beard who combined well with Dingwall for the A team.
A head coach can get carried away with a new broom. While there is also a temptation to throw in the likes of Quins flanker Jack Kenningham or Finn Russell’s back-up at Bath, Ciaran Donoghue, and maybe even Seb Atkinson and Greg Fisilau as well, there is a blend Borthwick needs to find.
Against the Pumas who, at No. 5 in the world are ranked one place above England, some hand-holding will need to be done.
Buenos Aires, the venue for the first Test on 5 July, and San Juan, where the second will be staged a week later, are hostile environments for a full debut. Exeter scrum-half Jack Maunder was capped against Argentina on the 2017 tour and never seen again in an England shirt.
But if it goes well this tour is just the sort of sink-or-swim experience which can be the making of a player and a bonus ball opportunity for a coach. If Borthwick could harvest a Curry or an Underhill equivalent, while at the same time fronting up to the Pumas, he would be delighted.
England picked up some useful momentum at the back end of the Six Nations. If they can maintain it across the Atlantic, they would find themselves in an excellent place when their British and Irish Lions return in the autumn.
I would take Radwan over Arundell right now. Looking through these comments it seems no-one has mentioned him?
Some Sale lads in with a shout of touring.
Reketi Maasi White has grown and grown this season at 12, Ben Bamber is a phenomenal talent at second row and has been in great form, Roebuck will be starting wing, and Ben Curry really should be starting 7. AOF and Bevan Rodd in the mix in the front row, as should Carpenter be at 15.
Why on earth Quirke is being pushed again I don’t know. He’s 2 matches back from long injury and was dreadful against Leicester.
Seb Atkinson has to tour.
Thoughts on Argentina. How tough will it be to win against them at home? And can anyone explain how they seemed to go downhill before the last RWC, unexpectedly?
I have a different take on this. In previous years, this tour could be viewed as a development tour because the RWC draw was already settled. A coach could try out new combinations without worrying too much about winning or losing.
For RWC 2027, the draw will take place ahead of the 2026 6 Nations, and England are currently only just in the top seeding tier for the expanded 6 pool structure.
England are currently 6th in the rankings, a fraction of a point behind Argentina in 5th, five points behind France in 4th and two and a half points ahead of Scotland in 7th.
Ahead of the draw, their fixture list reads: Argentina (A), Argentina (A), Australia (H), Fiji (H), NZ (H), Argentina (H).
Not only would winning against Argentina give them a buffer against slipping into the second tier ahead of a tough Autumn schedule, but it would lay down a marker for when the teams meet again - the last competitive fixture for each of them before the draw.
England will be going all out to win the tour matches.
Even so, this tour has historically been a crucible from which future lynchpins of the team have emerged. Despite the imperative to win, there is still a lot of value in trying to unearth some new options.
The touring squad will likely be 33 players, as per RWC squad sizes. I’d expect it to be drawn from the 6N and England A squads, plus possibly Arundell, minus anyone who is unlikely to play a part in the RWC. That for me excludes Slade, who will be 34 by the time it rolls around. I also think that Steward will only travel if the plan is to try him at 12; unfortunately for him, the game has moved in a direction that needs more agility and attacking threat at fullback.
That would suggest something like:
Dan, George, Langdon
Baxter, Rodd, Brantingham (though Fasogbon has a definite shout)
Heyes, Opoku-Fordjour, Kloska
Coles, Tizard, Lockett
B Curry, Hill, Willis, Cunningham-South, Kenningham, Pearson (CCS and Kenningham are both credible lineout options, which may give them an edge when England are light at lock)
Randall, van Poortvliet, Porter
Ford, Atkinson
Dingwall, Beard, Butt, Ojomoh
Murley, Roebuck, Sleightholme, Arundell, Furbank
That leaves one slot open. The temptation would be to take an additional fly half, but Furbank can cover 10 if need be. I think England might look at what their options are at 12, whether that’s converting Steward or taking another emerging inside centre like Will Rigg or Ben Waghorn. The latter - a JRWC winner last year - has the advantage of being quite similar in style to Dingwall, which would present the chance to build some consistency in attack.
Does t the match v USA feature in the forthcoming schedule of matches or is there a reason, that I am not aware of, that this game does not earn points and count towards world rankings? Anyone able to enlighten me?
You seem to have the same take as the author of the article, although obviously you’re right to put emphasis on the world rankings.
England will take 36 players, as they always do, and will definitely take Steward as a 15, because he is a good 15 and not a 12. Similarly if Fasogbon goes it will be as a 3, not a 1.
In the interests of winning, Borthwick is likely to select Iyogun or Obano ahead of Brantington, and its also unlikely that Kloska will get much of a look-in (Davison and Fasogbon are better options).
Aside from that I don't disagree massively with your selections - which is maybe unsurprising given you've selected such a small squad. Underhill will definitely go, and Guy Pepper and Alfie Barbeary would be unlucky not to. They are probably more likely shouts than Pearson, who could get left out in order to make room for Isiekwe, Ewels, Clarke, or Richards at lock. Of those 4 Clarke would be the most likely to go. I also wouldn’t rule out Fisilau, possibly taking Kennigham's spot.
In the backs Steward will also go, and Murley, Arundell, or Butt could be left out to make way for Donoghue or Seb Atkinson.
Freddie Clarke should be in the mix for second row. Tom Roebuck should be in the team based on form. Let Arundel settle back into English rugby before selecting him based on past form. Would have Beard in at outside centre. Starting front row is fine but Bevan Ros should be on the bench with Asher covering tight head.
It’s never the standout fixture in test rugby but it has always delivered in recent years.
The 2017 series was a belter. Even the dead rubber in the last RWC was one of the best games of the tournament.
No Slade please thank you very much, Beard/Omojoh would be a better option.
Arundell is not available for selection as he plays in France so one of Roebuck/Murley/Slieghtholme instead
As clearly stated in the article, Arundell will be eligible as soon as the French season finishes (which is before the warm up game). He has not played a match for a while though so might be a bit rusty unless he gets a run out in the last few Racing games.