Argentina v England (1st Test)

Stuart Lancaster has already had to blood several new faces into his England side and tonight he gives two of the more eagerly awaited caps of his tenure as coach when a young side face Argentina in the first of two tests at Salta this evening.

Flanker Matt Kvesic is hoped by many to be the out and out breakdown presence that England lacked so badly through most of the 6 Nations – especially for their crunch contest with Wales when they let the Championship slip out of their hands in the Millennium Stadium, but the most excitement is over seeing Christian Wade get a long awaited chance to stretched his legs at the highest level on the wing – nothing more than he deserve after a season that saw him score 18 tries in 26 appearances - while there’s plenty of other talent in an exciting side.  

It’s frustrating not to see Johnny May – nearly as impressive as Wade at times this season for Gloucester – getting a chance but David Strettle boasts pace a plenty and in Freddie Burns and Billy Twelvetrees England have a pair of outstanding playmakers capable of running a backline even without the majority of possession, and if Jonathan Joseph can find his best form then the 12/13 partnership of him and Twelvetrees has significant potential.

England clearly have the pack in their backs to be let loose, so much will depend upon how the breakdown battle amongst other things goes with the scrum. Alex Cobisiero’s Lions call up robs the scrum of its powerhouse and Joe Marler has a lot to prove at the highest level, although David Wilson is impressed plenty for bath and along with Rob Webber can give Maxmimo Bustos and Pablo Henn plenty to think about; In the backrow however, Tom Wood stands alone today with the weakened opposition and it would be surprising if England couldn’t have at least equal parity.

Argentina are never to be underestimated, but even a young England side should fancy their chances given the decision from the Pumas management to split their squad ahead of the Rugby Championship given how strong they were in performance last year has left them short of first rate talent such as Juan Imhoff, Juan Martín Hernández, Patricio Albacete and Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe to name just four, but 21 players out is a significant amount for any side and nearly all of the team that was so impressive in this year’s Rugby Championship is now gone.

During that tournament, they conceded 16, 54 and 25 points at home and while a winning margin punt of 1-12 is tempting – more so than a handicap which has grown towards 7 points – the points line of 24 should be reachable if England turn up and is the main bet. Lancaster’s side were terribly over conservative during the 6 Nations but have a much different system today with more emphasis on creativity and width, and they could well prosper under that basis.

Advice

2 pts England to score more than 23 points (4/5 Bet365)

1 pt England to win by 1-12 points (17/10 Bwin)