The two defeated semi-finalists have had about a week to pick themselves up from their disappointment and prepare for the bronze final, the penultimate match of Rugby World Cup 2023 on Friday at 21:00, and a curtain raiser to the showpiece match on Saturday.
Argentina will be the first to admit they were second best against New Zealand in Saint-Denis last Friday, but that just means they have a major point to prove against England, here, as they look to send veterans Agustín Creevy and Nicolás Sánchez from the Rugby World Cup stage with a deserved medal around their necks.
Los Pumas’ head coach Michael Cheika has made three changes to his starting XV from that loss to New Zealand, with Pedro Rubiolo replacing Tomas Lavanini in the second-row, Tomás Cubelli coming in for Gonzalo Bertranou at scrum-half, and Jeronimo de la Fuente replacing Santiago Chocobares at inside-centre.
Even so, it’s a familiar-looking side, with 19 survivors from the 23 who lost to England in the opening round.
Argentina forwards coach Andrés Bordoy said they expect England not to change much from the semi-final: “I think the last game with South Africa confirmed the focus and analysis is the same. England played a very, very good game against South Africa in the set-pieces until the 60th minute, which cost them the game in the scrum. We know that they are going to focus on the forward game. We did not make a good impression in that area against New Zealand, especially in the first half, where it cost us dearly. We want to change that image.”
England, too, after coming so close to beating defending champions South Africa on Saturday, will want to sign off from a tournament that has exceeded expectations with one more win – and give the likes of Dan Cole, Danny Care and Ben Youngs one last Rugby World Cup hurrah.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has made eight personnel changes to his starting XV following last weekend’s semi-final loss against South Africa, with five in the pack - including an all-new front row. Tom Curry, winning his 50th cap on his 49th start for England, is one of three forwards who retains his place in the starting line-up as he switches to blindside for the first time since December 2020.
Youngs earns his first start at RWC 2023 after playing 53 minutes in total off the bench in two appearances, and will resume a half-back partnership with Owen Farrell – making his 100th England start – last seen in the 2021 Six Nations.
Henry Arundell, meanwhile, returns after his five-try outing against Chile in the third pool phase round, albeit on the opposite wing, while Courtney Lawes has dropped out of the matchday 23 altogether.
England head coach Steve Borthwick said they do not need the Bongi Mbonambi/Tom Curry saga to motivate them: “The players have got tons of motivation. Playing for England, competing for third place at the World Cup. In terms of this week, we are focusing on the game tomorrow night and we are really looking forward to it. The players have been fantastic in ensuring Tom gets all the support he needs.”
Teams:
Argentina: 1 Thomas Gallo, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizabal, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Facundo Isa, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 10 Santiago Carreras, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 13 Lucio Cinti, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 15 Juan Cruz Mallia. Replacements: 16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Matías Moroni.
England: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Theo Dan, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl, 9 Ben Youngs, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Henry Arundell, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 13 Joe Marchant, 14 Freddie Steward, 15 Marcus Smith. Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Dan Cole, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Lawrence.
