England’s revisionism may not survive a mauling from the Pumas in Marseilles

Rugby World Cup Pool D: England v Argentina, OL Stadium, Marseilles, Saturday, 8.0 Irish time – Live on RTÉ 2

Revisionism is in the eye of the beholder, or at least that appears to be the philosophy that Steve Borthwick has adopted following a recent series of setbacks in Test matches. The England coach has partnered this stance with a nobody loves/understands us, but we don’t care defiance, a message parroted by some of his players.

It’s a difficult sell because there are too many holes in the argument that suggest England are going gallantly in the privacy of the training environment where a master plan for global domination is coming to fruition and that their recent displays against Ireland and Fiji were nothing more than shadowboxing. He’s every right to defend his plans and players but it’s tough when it relies on conjecture rather than substance.

Northampton Saints scrumhalf Alex Mitchell didn’t make the original 33-man Rugby Word Cup squad but returned following Jack van Poortvliet’s injury. The 26-year-old starts ahead of veterans Ben Youngs and Danny Care, a damascene conversion in a short time frame.

Mitchell didn’t know he was the answer to the question, neither one suspects did Care when doing media earlier in the week. Wing Jonny May, repatriated to the squad after Anthony Watson’s withdrawal, starts as a preferred option to those originally chosen ahead of him.

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Borthwick has rolled out the superlatives to describe how dedicated Mitchell, May, and another veteran Dan Cole, promoted to a starting role as Kyle Sinckler rehabilitates, have been to a cause that would have seemed foreign for the first two players mentioned a fortnight ago.

England’s head coach not have noted the irony when he ventured: “There is a feeling among the players that they’ve been written off too early. People have called time on them a bit too early.” Indeed.

The former Leinster axis of Michael Cheika and Felipe Contepomi must be reasonably confident that they possess the wherewithal to finish on the right side of this pool-defining game. There are a couple of non-negotiables, one that Marcos Kremer, back from a five-game suspension, and Tomas Lavanini are on their best behaviour from a discipline perspective and that the Pumas have the courage to go after England in the wider channels.

The fact that fullback Juan Cruz Mallia and centre Santiago Chocobares are employed by Toulouse speaks volumes for their talent, the 23-year-old Lucio Cinti had oodles of talent, while Santiago Carreras has been repurposed successfully at outhalf over the past couple of years having previously played in the back three.

England have some excellent players but Argentina, provided they survive the set piece and not get bogged down in a kick fest, are a better team and that may make all the difference to guarantee a narrow win.

ENGLAND: F Steward; J May, J Marchant, M Tuilagi, E Daly; G Ford, A Mitchell; E Genge, J George, D Cole; M Itoje, O Chessum; C Lawes (capt), T Curry, B Earl.

Replacements: T Dan, J Marler, W Stuart, G Martin, L Ludlam, D Care, M Smith, Ó Lawrence.

ARGENTINA: J Cruz Mallia; E Boffelli, L Cinti, S Chocobares, M Carreras; S Carreras, G Bertranou; T Gallo, J Montoya (capt), F Gomez Kodela; M Alemanno, T Lavanini; P Matera, M Kremer, J Martin Gonzalez.

Replacements: A Creevy, J Sclavi, E Bello, G Petti, P Rubiolo, R Bruni, L Bazan Velez, M Moroni.

Referee: M Raynal (France).