Who should tour Argentina with England this summer?

Published on 17 June 2025 at 22:09

England's summer starts with an uncapped game against France which is followed by two games in Argentina. It will end in Washington DC with a test match against the USA Eagles. Previous tours of this kind have unearthed the likes of Tom Curry, Jonny May and Billy Vunipola. This shows the importance of this series for periphery players to gain the trust of Borthwick and for England to develop its depth of internationals. There will obviously be several places up for grabs with England having 13 players selected for the squad as well as two more already joining up with the Lions who might join in for the full tour. With that in mind, let's take a look at who is in the mix for each of those spots, as well as selecting a travelling squad. Borthwick has already named a training squad from the six teams who didn't make the playoffs but I'll be selecting a full squad for the entire summer.

 

Loosehead Prop

 

Unavailable: Ellis Genge (Lions)

 

Contender: Fin Baxter - Bevan Rodd - Beno Obano - Manny Iyogun

 

Fin Baxter is the obvious first choice here and a tour without Ellis Genge could be the perfect situation for Baxter to flourish as an international prop. Rodd and Obano have been vying for the 3rd spot in the squad for a while with Rodd generally coming out on top. However, this time there are more spots available so there is a good chance for both. Rodd has age on his side and is a more agile player with better hands but Obano is still young enough to be a big presence in 2027 for the World Cup and brings a level of power that Rodd cannot match. The dark horse in this race is Manny Iyogun who has developed well for Northampton in a difficult season. The 24-year-old has grown into a physical force for his club and could now be ready to make his mark for the national team.

 

My selections: Fin Baxter - Bevan Rodd - Beno Obano

 

Hooker

 

Unavailable: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Lions)

 

Contenders: Jamie George - Theo Dan - Curtis Langdon - Gabriel Oghre - Jamie Blamire 

 

 

Jamie George is the obvious front-runner for this spot and, unless he gets called up to the Lions, his experience will make him invaluable to England on this tour. Theo Dan has been on the periphery of the squad for a while and is still probably the player just behind George and Cowan-Dickie. His biggest competition is Curtis Langdon who has been in a few England squads recently without being given a real chance for England. He isn't physically what one might want an international hooker to be but he is a classy operator who makes very few mistakes. The Falcons' hooker, Jamie Blamire, is a solid player who has consistently been in contention but he is unlikely to make this team. He is moving to Leicester this summer so perhaps a bigger stage with a better team will give him the platform to push himself into the England reckoning. My personal favourite for this spot is Bristol's Gabriel Oghre. He is a superb ball-carrier who brings a straight-line dynamism to Bristol's attack. He is an impact player whose big stumbling block is probably the fact that he is directly competing with Theo Dan for the position of a hooker who has that style. I would pick Oghre but I don't have my hopes up.

 

My selections: Jamie George - Curtis Langdon - Gabriel Oghre

 

Tighthead Prop

 

Unavailable: Will Stuart (Lions)

 

Contenders: Asher Opoku-Fordjour - Joe Heyes - Afolabi Fasogbon - Trevor Davison

 

A couple of years ago, this was looking like a potential problem-spot for England with Dan Cole having no obvious successor and Kyle Sinckler moving abroad. Since then, Will Stuart has improved massively, and is now looking likely to be starting for the Lions, whilst Joe Heyes has leapfrogged Cole at club level. Behind them, some exciting prospects have developed with Opoku-Fordjour and Fasogbon being the most promising. Trevor Davison has also been consistently solid for Northampton. Heyes will likely start this summer having become Stuart's regular understudy whilst Opoku-Fordjour has also become a regular face in England camps. Fasogbon is a physical freak who is an exciting prospect but he will be up against the ever-reliable Davison for the final place. And, given that Borthwick is placing more emphasis on immediate success against Argentina than on player development, Fasogbon could be on the back foot in that competition.

 

My Selections: Asher Opoku-Fordjour - Joe Heyes - Afolabi Fasogbon

 

 

Lock

 

Unavailable: Maro Itoje (Lions)  - Ollie Chessum (Lions)  - George Martin (injury)

 

Contenders: Alex Coles - Arthur Clark - Tom Lockett - Nick Isiekwe - Charlie Ewels 

 

The second row is one of the two most depleted positions in this potential squad - alongside fly-half. The top 3 players are all missing so some opportunities will arise for new players. Coles has been around the squad for a while and will probably start. Isiekwe has been around for a while and can be relied upon in big games. Charlie Ewels has been around for a while but his chances have been sparse whilst Lockett and Clark are the younger prospects. Clark is probably ahead of Lockett having cemented his position for Gloucester and been one of their best performers this season.

 

My selections: Alex Coles - Arthur Clark - Nick Isiekwe - Tom Lockett

 

 Flanker 

 

Unavailable: Tom Curry (Lions) - Henry Pollock (Lions)

 

Contenders: Chandler Cunningham-South - Ted Hill - Ben Curry - Sam Underhill - Guy Pepper - Tom Pearson - Jack Kenningham - Richard Capstick - Will Evans - Emeka Ilione

 

This is a position with untold amounts of depth to the point where there are legitimate contenders who didn't even make this list. This list can be sorted into a few catergories - blindside flankers, openside flankers and those who can play across positions. 

 

The blindside position will be filled by either Cunningham-South or Hill who are both incredible athletes but with different skills. The Harlequin is a boulder on legs whilst Hill is a 6ft5" forward who is quicker than any of his Bath teammates. Hill has been deserving of a real shot for a while but has been held back by the ridiculous depth at this position - hopefully this tour will allow him to get his foot in the door in the back row. The unlikely bet at this position is Emeka Ilione - the Leicester giant has been a game-changer coming off the bench. He has been a consistent try-scorer and brings a unique presence to any squad.

 

In terms of specialist 7s, England have Ben Curry, Sam Underhill, Guy Pepper and Will Evans. Ben Curry has played well whenever he has been given the chance but has found opportunities hard to come by given his competition. Sam Underhill is the senior player in this spot but is still suspended so won't be able to play every game of the tour. Will Evans has been a turnover machine for years in West London without making an international appearance but he could certainly do a good job if given the chance. If it wasn't for Henry Pollock, Guy Pepper would be the subject of many glowing reviews in news outlets. The 22-year-old has starred for Bath to the degree that Underhill wasn't missed and was named player of the match in the semi-final against Bristol. 

 

Pearson and Kenningham are both normally openside flankers but are bigger athletes who can do a job as a specialist 6. Pearson has been a promising prospect since he broke through at London Irish and could definitely become a regular for his country.

 

My selections: Chandler Cunningham-South - Ted Hill - Ben Curry - Sam Underhill - Guy Pepper - Tom Pearson

 

 

Number 8

 

Unavailable: Ben Earl (Lions)

 

Contenders: Tom Willis, Alex Dombrandt, Alfie Barbeary

 

Tom Willis has earned himself the starting role at this spot for England, bringing the ability to win collisions and break lines in a way that England had been missing. Young Greg Fisilau could have made this tour but is currently injured so the door is open for Dombrandt or Barbeary . Dombrandt has been selected very often by Borthwick despite failing to replicate his club form at all. Barbeary has been talked about a lot for this position but I have doubts over his ability to actually be a difference-maker at test level. 

 

My selections: Tom Willis

 

 

Scrum half

 

Unavailable: Alex Mitchell (Lions) - Harry Randall (injury)

 

Contenders: Ben Spencer, Jack Van Poortvliet, Will Porter, Raffi Quirke

 

This position seems pretty set. Mitchell and Randall are both out so Van Poortvliet will probably be starting in their place. Ben Spencer has been among the best players in the Gallagher Premiership and, despite his struggles with England, has to be picked based upon his quality. Quirke has struggled to maintain his fitness for the entirety of his career but has often joined up with the England squad for rehabbing purposes. This suggests that he is at the forefront of Borthwick's thoughts for this squad, He is the best athlete that England could select at this position and has been impressive in recent months since getting healthy and stealing Warr's starting spot. Will Porter is the outside bet and would be a reliable player but shouldn't be picked ahead of any of these other options.

 

 

My selections: Jack Van Poortvlet - Raffi Quirke - Ben Spencer

 

 

Fly half:

 

Unavailable: Marcus Smith (LIons) - Fin Smith (Lions)

 

Contenders: George Ford, Ciaran Donghue, Charlie Atkinson

 

This is one of the tricky positions for England; Ford is the only available player who is a bonafide international quality player. Behind him. there are only players who don't start for their clubs. Atkinson is a good prospect but has often been third choice at Gloucester behind both Anscombe and Carreras. Donoghue, on the other hand, has only just broken into the Bath squad. He obiously won't be usurping Finn Russell anytime soon but he is being trusted with increasing responsibility by Johan Van Graan. He is a powerful runner who can player at both fly-half and fullback. He is also eligible to play for both England and Ireland so perhaps England might be motivated to test him out in training then cap him against the USA at the end of the tour in Washington DC.

 

 

My selections: George Ford - Ciaran Donoghue

 

 

Centre

 

Unavailable: Ollie Lawrence (Injury)

 

Contenders: Henry Slade, Max Ojomoh, Fraser Dingwall, Oscar Bears, Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Joseph Woodward, Luke Nothmore, Ben Waghorn

 

Henry Slade is the senior player at this position and will probably start the big games despite the (often unjustified) criticism from England fans. Fraser Dingwall has started in place of Lawrence but plays a very different style. He can play both centre spots and is a glue player. However, his skillset could be too similar to Slade's which could lead to Borthwick selecting other players now that he has more options.

 

The two other outside centre options are Max Ojomoh and Oscar Beard. Ojomoh has starred in the absence of the injured Ollie Lawrence and is a powerful ball-carrier. Oscar Beard is a more evasive runner who can also play on the wing but is more comfortable at 13. He has been regularly selected by Borthwick but is yet to make his mark. 

 

The options on the inside are quite interesting. Luke Northmore can play both positions and has been biding his time in the England squad and could be ready to take his chance. This tour is probably a bit too soon for his teammate, Ben Waghorn, but the youngster is an exciting prospect to watch out for. Joseph Woodward has broken into, and maintained his spot in, the Leicester starting XV. The youngster is a creative player who can also hold his own in defence. The final option is Sale's Rekeiti Ma'asi-White who has done admirably to fill in the gap left by Manu Tuilagi - could he do that for England as well?

 

 

My selections: Henry Slade - Max Ojomoh - Rekeiti Ma'asi-White - Oscar Beard - Fraser Dingwall

 

WIng:

 

Unavailable: Elliot Daly (Lions) - Tommy Freeman (Lions)

 

Contenders: Cadan Murley - Ollie Sleightholme - Tom Roebuck - Immanuel Feyi-Waboso - Adam Radwan - Ollie Hassel-Collins - Henry Arundell - Gabriel Ibitoye - Paul Brown-Bampoe

 

 

This is a position where the final judgements come down to a matter of preference over which style of winger you prefer. Feyi-Waboso broke onto the scene last year but has spent 2025 out injured - if he is healthy he has to be on the plane. Roebuck and Sleightholme have also been England players for a while and have stood up when necessary. Murley had a mixed debut for his country but is good enough to deserve a second chance this summer. Henry Arundell is returning from Paris so is back in the mix - he is a talented player but has had a mixed time in France. 

 

The Premiership performers on this list are in with a shot - Radwan and Hassell-Collins have stood out for Leicester and could both play at test level. Brown-Bampoe is a physical freak who has scored 21 tries in all competitions this season.  Gabriel Ibitoye seems to be stuck in a position of being a fan-favourite who isn't trusted defensively at the highest level.

 

 

My selections: Tom Roebuck - Cadan Murley - Ollie Sleightholme - Immanuel Feyi-Waboso - Henry Arundell

 

 

Fullback

 

Unavailable: George Furbank (Injury)

 

Contenders: Freddie Steward - Joe Carpenter - Josh Hodge 

 

Steward is the obvious starter here with Carpenter and Hodge competing behind him. Hodge is a dangerous runner but lacks creativity whilst Carpenter's skillset is defensive solidity which makes him a safe option at this level.

 

 

My selections: Freddie Steward - Joe Carpenter

 

 

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