Bath winger Will Muir is set to earn his first full England cap at 29, after consistently impressive performances in the Gallagher Premiership. Known affectionately as “The Horse,” Muir has played a vital role in Bath’s remarkable triumph, bringing the English championship back to the club for the first time in 29 years.
Muir will take to the wing for England when they face Argentina on Saturday at Estadio UNO in La Plata, marking the first of two summer Test matches against the Pumas. He will be accompanied by four fellow Bath teammates: club captain Ben Spencer at scrum-half, former skipper Charlie Ewels at lock, and Sam Underhill, returning from suspension, starting in the back row. Guy Pepper, who earned player of the match honors in Bath’s Premiership knockout games, is expected to make his international debut off the bench just a year after joining from Newcastle Falcons.
Veteran players George Ford and Jamie George will co-captain the side. Ford approaches a significant milestone, set to win his 100th England cap—a journey that began in the 2014 Six Nations against Wales. Gloucester inside centre Seb Atkinson is also poised to make his England debut.
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Head coach Borthwick commented, “We’re excited to be playing in Argentina and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side. Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, they come into this series as favourites. They’re brilliantly led by Julián Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge.”
Match Details:
- Venue: Estadio UNO, La Plata, Argentina
- Kick-off: 8.40pm UK time, Saturday, July 5
- Live Broadcast: Sky Sports Action (Coverage begins at 8.30pm UK time)
England Starting XV:
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 36 caps)
14. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 4 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 72 caps)
12. Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
11. Will Muir (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 99 caps) – co-captain
9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 8 caps)
- Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 11 caps)
- Jamie George (Saracens, 101 caps) – co-captain
- Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 12 caps)
- Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 31 caps)
- Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
- Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 11 caps)
- Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 40 caps)
- Tom Willis (Saracens, 6 caps)
Replacements include Theo Dan, Bevan Rodd, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Chandler Cunningham-South, Guy Pepper, Alex Dombrandt, Jack van Poortvliet, and Cadan Murley.
Argentina Starting XV:
15. Benjamin Elizalde
14. Rodrigo Isgró
13. Lucio Cinti
12. Justo Piccardo
11. Santiago Cordero
10. Santiago Carreras
9. Gonzalo Bertranou
8. Facundo Isa
7. Juan Martín González
6. Pablo Matera
5. Pedro Rubiolo
4. Lucas Paulos
3. Pedro Delgado
2. Julián Montoya (c)
- Mayco Vivas
Refereeing Team:
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
FPRO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)