Elliot Daly returns to the field for his first match since the British and Irish Lions tour in Australia. The player has been selected to play as a winger in England’s match against Argentina this Sunday. Daly will take the place of Tom Roebuck, who will miss the match due to a foot injury. Head coach Steve Borthwick has made six changes to the team that defeated New Zealand with a score of 33-19. Daly’s participation in the Lions tour was interrupted by a fractured forearm suffered against the Queensland Reds on July 2, which required the insertion of a plate with 16 screws. Although he received the go-ahead from a specialist to face New Zealand, it was decided that the versatile 33-year-old player needed another week before being ready for full contact, which resulted in his return for the match against the Pumas. A hard collision with the All Blacks caused injuries that ended the autumn season for Roebuck, Ollie Lawrence and Jamie George, while Ollie Chessum and Tommy Freeman had already been ruled out. The domino effect leads Henry Slade to take Lawrence’s place in the outside center, forming a midfield combination alongside Fraser Dingwall. Luke Cowan-Dickie comes in as hooker to fill the void left by George’s hamstring problem and joins a new starting front row with Ellis Genge and Asher Opoku-Fordjour. Right pillar Joe Heyes, a breakout star of the campaign, is dropped entirely from the 23, with the final change seeing Ben Spencer take over at scrum-half with Alex Mitchell moving to the bench. Charlie Ewels makes his first autumn appearance among the substitutes with Theo Dan providing hooker cover. England are seeking their eleventh consecutive victory and an autumn sweep after dispatching Australia, Fiji and New Zealand this month. Argentina will arrive at Twickenham after a 33-24 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh, secured after overcoming a 21-0 deficit. “Last weekend gave us a lot to build on and now the challenge is to push our performance even further,” said Borthwick. “Argentina plays with emotion and physicality and they have shown that they can beat the best in the world this year. We know how dangerous they can be and we are preparing for a very contested test match. “We have felt exceptional support at the Allianz Stadium throughout this series. It provides a real boost for the players and we hope to create lasting memories for our fans on Sunday.”
England XV to face Argentina
- Freddie Steward
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
- Henry Slade
- Fraser Dingwall
- Elliot Daly
- George Ford
- Ben Spencer
- Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
- Luke Cowan-Dickie
- Asher Opoku-Fordjour
- Maro Itoje (captain)
- Alex Coles
- Guy Pepper
- Sam Underhill
- Ben Earl
Substitutes:
- Theo Dan
- Fin Baxter
- Will Stuart
- Charlie Ewels
- Tom Curry
- Henry Pollock
- Alex Mitchell
- Marcus Smith.
