| Date: Sunday, 6 November Kick-off: 14:15 GMT Venue: Twickenham Stadium |
| Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and updates on BBC Radio 5 Live |
Alex Coles will make his England debut in the second row against Argentina on Sunday as Maro Itoje moves to flanker to cover the injured Courtney Lawes.
Coles, 23, has represented England throughout age-grade levels and was named Northampton’s breakthrough player of last season.
Owen Farrell captains the team and is paired with Manu Tuilagi in midfield.
Ben Youngs starts ahead of Jack van Poortvliet at scrum-half while Billy Vunipola continues at number eight.
Vunipola, who started all three of England’s Tests against Australia in the summer after more than a year out of the set-up, is joined in the matchday squad by brother Mako, who is among the replacements.
Jonny May was in contention to play despite dislocating his elbow on 21 October, but misses out on the wing with Joe Cokanasiga and Jack Nowell preferred.
Back row Jack Willis, without a club since Wasps were placed in administration, is on the bench.
Lawes is still making his way back from a concussion sustained on club duty in September.
It is the first time that coach Eddie Jones has picked a 10-12-13 combination of Marcus Smith, Farrell and Tuilagi, which he hopes will gel before next year’s World Cup in France.
England take on Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on successive weekends after their meeting with the Pumas.
England team to face Argentina: Steward; Nowell, Tuilagi, Farrell (c), Cokanasiga; Smith, Youngs; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Sinckler, Coles, Hill, Itoje, Curry, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Singleton, M Vunipola, Heyes, Ribbans, Simmonds, Willis, Van Poortvliet, Slade
Sunday’s encounter pits England coach Eddie Jones against fellow Australian Michael Cheika who, as well as coaching Argentina, is in charge of Lebanon’s rugby league side in the quarter-final of the 13-man code’s World Cup on Friday evening.
“Knowing him he will turn that to his advantage,” Jones – a former Randwick team-mate of Cheika’s – told BBC Sport.
“His players will feel they are underprivileged, underdogs, their coach has got to do two jobs and he comes in at the last moment with plenty of fire and brimstone and the right sort of emotion.
“It will be a fantastic game.”
Saint Coles steps up to the plate
Coles, whose mother and father are both vicars, can also play in the back row and has been tipped by Jones to put pressure on similarly versatile club team-mate Lawes.
“Playing for England has always been a massive goal for me, although it wasn’t really in my immediate mindset at the start of the season,” Coles told the Mail on Sunday last month.
“I won’t get too far ahead of myself. You see a lot of players come and go in rugby and that makes you realise how quickly things can change.”
Coles played in the England side that finished fifth at the 2019 Under-20 World Championship and has scored three tries in seven Premiership appearances for Northampton this season.
“We’ve been watching him quite closely for the past 12 months at least,” said Jones.
“He is someone who can play four and six like Courtney, which gives you such flexibility in your squad.
“He is energetic, a good learner, he is dedicated to his profession and he has great line-out skills, so we feel he can fill that role in the future.”
