England team: Winners & losers as Steve Borthwick’s ‘smart ploy’ for rising star while undercooked veteran pips speedy duo
England players Elliot Daly, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and head coach Steve Borthwick.
Following the announcement of Steve Borthwick’s England team to face Argentina, here are our winners and losers.
Borthwick has made six changes to his starting line-up following the stunning 33-19 victory over the All Blacks last weekend.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers from this week’s selection.
Winners
Asher Opoku-Fordjour
After last year becoming the youngest prop to debut for England, Asher Opoku-Fordjour has earned just four more caps for his country, with the rising star easing into international rugby.
However, he has been thrown into the firing line and will start at tighthead prop in a rotational change for Joe Heyes. It will be just the second time that he runs out from minute one for Borthwick’s side, having done so against the USA in July.
The Sale Sharks front rower has swung between loosehead and tighthead for his club, and his future at the highest level looks destined to be in the latter role.
Heyes has certainly impressed this autumn, but it’s a smart ploy from the head coach to give his young prospect a start against Argentina. While Los Pumas have a mighty powerful pack, they are far from a strong scrummaging outfit, which makes this game a perfect fit for Opoku-Fordjour.
The front rower gets a crack at Tier One nation and the England coaching team can measure just how well he copes with that, but have an insurance policy on the bench in the form of British and Irish Lion Will Stuart.
The Springboks have introduced players in a similar manner, with the likes of Zachary Porthen and Boan Venter, by exposing them to the demands of Test rugby but gradually increasing the challenge.
Elliot Daly
After hitting a rich vein of form at the tail-end of the 2025 Six Nations, Elliot Daly earned selection from the British and Irish Lions tour where his performances only got better before an injury cruelly denied him the opportunity to press for a place in the Test team.
The utility hasn’t played since, but Brothwick is backing the veteran back to hit the ground sprinting against an exciting Argentine backline.
Daly certainly has the skillset and pedigree to rise to the challenge, but there is undoubtedly an element of risk with throwing him right back into the mix.
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Guy Pepper
While Henry Pollock is stealing the spotlight as a nominee for the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, Guy Pepper has quietly and effectively gone about making himself a regular member of the England squad.
The Bath loose forward will earn his sixth straight appearance for England and fourth successive start on Sunday. The hard-working flanker has benefited from Borthwick’s emphasis on using his bench to freshen up the pack in the latter stages, but Pepper is the battering ram that has softened up the opposition before the Pom squad delivers the knockout blows.
Henry Slade
Injury creates opportunity and that’s certainly the case for Henry Slade this time around, with the Exeter stalwart named at outside centre with both Tommy Freeman and Ollie Lawrence ruled out.
It’s obvious that the 73-Test cap international is falling down the pecking order in the coaching staff’s eyes, but he won’t be discarded anytime soon.
Injuries will always play a major role in selection, and the ability to call on a player with Slade’s experience after losing two stars in a specialist position is a huge plus.
Ben Spencer
A rare start for the Bath captain, who may well be benefiting from Lee Blackett joining Borthwick’s coaching team. Ben Spencer has always been on the fringes of the England squad but has been unable to really nail down a regular spot.
Still, when he has got the chance, he has impressed and expect no different on Sunday when he lines up alongside George Ford, who delivered a man of the match performance last week.
Theo Dan
Theo Dan replaces clubmate Jamie George in the matchday squad, with Luke Cowan-Dickie taking over the number two jumper. It’s clearly a rotation call, but one that provides Dan with a chance to really stake a claim for more minutes next year.
The Saracens front-rower is still in his rookie years for a hooker (24) but has already racked up 19 appearances for his country, and the 20th could be all-important if he is capable of providing the impact required off the bench.
At 35, George is in the twilight years of his career and Dan is the natural successor; he just needs to start showing that.
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Losers
Tommy Freeman
The Northampton Saints star will be gutted that his November was cut so short after a strong July with the British and Irish Lions. Freeman started the win over Australia in the centres before shifting to the wing for the clash against Fiji.
In both matches, he looked sharp and threatening but wasn’t quite at his lethal best as it seemed like he was building towards a massive outing. Ultimately, that didn’t come after he missed the win over the All Blacks through injury and was subsequently released from the squad because of that setback earlier this week.
Ollie Lawrence
Ditto for Lawrence who put in his most compelling performance in an England jersey in the victory over the All Blacks. It was a breakout performance of sorts against New Zealand for the centre who seldom has a bad game but again his momentum has been stalled by injury.
The luckless Bath star is bound to be recalled to the England squad for the Six Nations, but he would have relished the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Santiago Chocobares, Matias Moroni and Justo Piccardo.
Chandler Cunningham-South
It’s rather difficult to judge where exactly Chandler Cunningham-South sits in the England back-row puzzle. He put in a strong shift against Fiji, which earned him a place on the bench against the All Blacks, but was basically unused versus New Zealand, coming on with just two minutes left to play.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Quins’ back-rower is his abrasiveness and physicality in contact and perhaps that’s the reason he has missed out this time around as it’s bound to be a dogfight up front against Argentina.
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Fin Smith
The Northampton Saints star’s November has come to an end. Fin Smith was the go-to selection throughout this year’s Six Nations, but the selection frame has shifted since then, with George Ford hitting top form and producing standout shifts to hold onto the number 10 jumper.
Smith got the opportunity to press his claim against Fiji and while he steered the team to victory, it wasn’t enough to twist the coaching staff’s arm enough to get another start.
Marcus Smith
Meanwhile, Marcus Smith is paying the price for his versatility as Borthwick continues to select 6-2 bench splits. The tactic requires a replacement back that can play at two positions, and Smith does that with his ability to cover fly-half and full-back and, at a pinch, probably wing too.
Last time out against the All Blacks, his services were required early on with Freddie Steward going down injured. His performance was certainly good enough to warrant a start in the number 15 jersey against Argentina, but that has not proven to be the case.
Henry Arundell and Cadan Murley
After a livewire cameo off the bench on his return to the England fold, Henry Arundell would have hoped for minutes in the saddle this November.
His pace would have certainly been useful this weekend against the likes of Rodrigo Isgro and Mateo Carerras, and the same applies to Quins flyer Cadan Murley after Tom Roebuck was released from the squad.
Instead, Borthwick has trusted the experienced head of Daly instead.