England head coach Eddie Jones has named a powerful team to take on Argentina at the Rugby World Cup in Japan this Saturday, with the biggest boost coming on the bench.
For the first time since the tournament started England have been able to call upon both Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell following lengthy injuries to the pair pre-tournament.
It is especially pleasing for English fans to see the versatile back return to the fold as he has been out of the picture since the Premiership final at the start of June, where he injured his ankle, and has been recovering ever since.
If the duo can come on and gain some much-needed match fitness ahead of the knock-out stages of the tournament it would be a huge plus for an England side bidding to win the whole competition.
In the starting line-up there is a front-three of Joe Marler, Jamie George and Kyle Sinckler, while Maro Itoje and George Kruis make up a formidable second-row pairing.
The back-row is even more daunting for the Pumas as Tom Curry comes in as openside-flanker, with Sam Underhill on the blindside and Billy Vunipola completing the pack from No 8.
Ben Youngs is set to become England’s third most capped player when he makes his 92nd appearance at scrum-half and is joined in the half-backs by George Ford.
Owen Farrell once again leads the side from inside-centre with the ever-impressive Manu Tuilagi alongside him at outside-centre.
The back-three is made up of Jonny May on the left-wing, Anthony Watson on the right, and Elliot Daly at full-back in what is a starting line-up to be reckoned with.
As well as Nowell and Vunipola, there is a return to action for Henry Slade among the replacements, with Jones having plenty of experience to call upon.
With England having won their opening two games of the tournament Jones knows that Argentina will be a tough team to beat if they want to keep their winning streak going.
“We are in Tokyo for the first time and the players are excited to be here and have had a good week’s preparation so far. We know Argentina are a very good team and our players will be ready for the game. Argentina is a completely different team from others we have played so far in the pool stages and are always about the physical contest. This week it’s about getting our game right, our set piece in a good place and making sure defensively we are organised and ready to find ways to score points against them,” he said.
England know that a win against the Pumas will put them into the last eight of the competition before they even play their final pool fixture against France. However, Argentina know that only a win will be enough for them to have any hopes of progressing to the knock-out stages and will go all out to try and upset an England side that is currently full of confidence.
Check Out the Full 23-Man Squad Below.
Starting XV:
Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (c), Jonny May, George Ford, Ben Youngs, Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill, Tom Curry, George Kruis, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements:
Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Henry Slade, Jack Nowell
