4. Emiliano Boffelli (Edinburgh)
The England fans who attended Twickenham last November, to see Argentina secure a dramatic one-point win, will be all too familiar with the name Emiliano Boffelli. Not including the team announcements, Boffelli’s name rang out throughout the stadium known as ‘HQ’ on eight occasions. The fullback scored a try, added his own conversion, and slotted a further six penalties to build a 25-point individual tally.
Currently playing his club rugby North of the English border with Edinburgh, Boffelli has pressed on to establish himself as an out-right fullback, after rotating through the back-three with his former club Racing 92. After just eight appearances for the Parisian side, Boffelli has settled into life in the Scottish capital, with a strong scoring record of 16 tries in his first two seasons. Boffelli has also ran out at left wing during the latest United Rugby Championship campaign, once again presenting a versatile threat from an Argentine back.
Despite his talents with the ball, Boffelli’s key weapon is his goal kicking. In his last meeting against England, the 28-year-old missed just one out of seven attempts at the Twickenham posts. Boffelli tied All Blacks fly half Richie Mo’unga to top spot in the points scoring charts, with 71 points throughout the 2022 Rugby Championship. He followed this up with 16 points and a third-place finish (behind Mo’unga and Mannie Libbok) in the latest, and albeit reduced 2023 Rugby Championship, last July.
5. Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso (Saracens)
Argentina’s versatile players are not limited to the backs, with Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso providing Michael Cheika with a hard-hitting back rower that can excel on both flanks and at number eight. Another player who vacated Argentina following the collapse of Jagurares, Gonzalez was unfortunate enough to experience another club’s financial administration, as part of London Irish. Gonzalez holds the accolade of being the last player to score a Premiership try for London Irish, as he crossed over for the Exiles in their season closer against Exeter Chiefs last May.
However, like his Pumas teammate Lucio Cinti, Gonzalez was promptly fished out of the free agents pool after agreeing a deal with 2023 Premiership champions Saracens. Gonzalez made 36 starting appearances for the Exiles, out of 54 caps. Despite being just 22-years-old, the back-row star has valuable first team experience at the highest level for club and country. Gonzalez’ talents were identified at an early age, and he has since made 24 test match caps for Los Pumas, after being fast-tracked through the Argentina U20s set-up.
Be prepared to see some scintillating battles between Gonzalez, and his soon to be Saracens teammate Ben Earl. The two pride themselves on defensive work rate and hard-hitting offence, with this match-up possibly made even sweeter if Earl slots in at eight, in the suspended absence of Billy Vunipola. With Gonzalez on the flank, the two could well clash if Earl picks-and-goes from the back of the scrum. This battle within the war is set to take place this Saturday, with Marseille hosting this must-win opening contest between England and Argentina.