England
15) Freddie Steward Back to his best under the high ball in conditions that evidently made handling difficult. Argentina’s back three will have nightmares about his kick-chasing for weeks. 8
14) Jonny May Gave away a silly penalty for not giving ball back and could do nothing about Daly’s poor pass. Not really the kind of evening for him to showcase his talents. 7
13) Joe Marchant Tried on the odd occasion to show his outside break but this was a night for defensive graft and Marchant held up his end in that regard. 7
12) Manu Tuilagi They’ll be picking pieces of Santiago Chocobares out of the turf for a while yet. One of his more influential performances of late and moments like that tackle kept England going. 8
11) Elliot Daly Gave away a breakdown penalty and gave a rank pass to May as England butchered an overlap on the right. Missed a couple of long-range penalties. 6
10) George Ford Three drop-goals before half-time – the first two were fine strikes –and a masterclass in steering a side down to 14 men around the field. Biggest ever points haul for England to boot. 9
9) Alex Mitchell Kept Argentina’s defenders honest with his eye for a gap and almost put Daly away on the left. Box-kicked well in a mature performance for someone so inexperienced. 8
1) Ellis Genge Played a key role in England’s scrum dominance. Has been subdued of late but this was a significant step up from the vice-captain. 7
2) Jamie George Experience was invaluable after Curry’s red card. Another long shift – making way after 72 minutes – but another of England’s dogged defensive heroes. 9
3) Dan Cole You couldn’t help but feel for him when you saw the weather forecast but made his tackles and kept the scrum watertight. 7
4) Maro Itoje Key turnover which allowed Ford to kick the lead out to 15 points. Much more like it for someone who has struggled to find top gear for a while. Top tackler in the match. 8
5) Ollie Chessum Showing the kind of form he produced in the Six Nations, setting the tone with a bulldozing early carry and continuing in that vein thereafter. 8
6) Courtney Lawes (capt) This sort of game is made for him. Leads with his actions and where he puts his head, others follow. Huge turnover near England’s line and a few bone-rattling tackles. 9
7) Tom Curry Palpably fired up before the match, having not played since May, but lasted less than three minutes before a red card, via the bunker, for an overzealous tackle on Juan Cruz Mallía. 2
8) Ben Earl A whirling dervish at the base of the scrum. Started the match with huge energy and rarely let up. A few of what are becoming trademark celebrations too. 9
Replacements: Theo Dan (for George 72) n/a; Joe Marler (for Genge 54) Helped England turn screw at scrum 7; Will Stuart (for Cole 50) Solid 6; George Martin (for Chessum 59) Picked up where clubmate left off 7; Lewis Ludlam (for Lawes 66) n/a; Danny Care (for Mitchell 59) Slipped into Mitchell’s shoes well 7; Marcus Smith (for Ford 75) n/a; Ollie Lawrence (for Tuilagi 70) n/a.
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Argentina
Juan Cruz Mallía 3; Emiliano Boffelli 5, Lucio Cinti 3, Santiago Chocobares 3, Mateo Carreras 4 (Moroni 63 4); Santiago Carreras 3, Gonzalo Bertranou 4 (Bazán Velez 68 n/a); Thomas Gallo 5 (Sclavi 50 4), Julián Montoya 7 (capt; Agustín Creevy 68 5), Francisco Gómez Kodela 4 (Bello 62 4); Matías Alemanno 3 (Guido Petti ht 5), Tomas Lavanini 4 (Pedro Rubiolo 50 4), Pablo Matera 5, Marcos Kremer 3, Juan Martín González 3 (Rodrigo Bruni 59 5).
