England player ratings vs Argentina: George Ford stars

England turned on the style in La Plata, blowing Argentina away 35-12 with a ruthless second-half display in the opening Test.

It was tight at the break, England edging it 9-6 after a cagey first 40. But after that? Pure dominance.

Tom Roebuck lit the fuse with a quickfire brace, Freddie Steward followed up with another, and suddenly the hosts were reeling. Argentina clawed back a couple, but George Ford — on his 100th cap — ran the show with ice-cold control. Two more penalties from the maestro kept the scoreboard ticking.

And just to make sure, Cadan Murley danced over late to cap a near-perfect evening. Ruthless, composed, and clinical — England mean business.

Scroll down for England player ratings vs Argentina.

15. Freddie Steward – 7
Once again proved himself one of the best under the high ball: safe, and able to kick and chase with speed and purpose.

14. Tom Roebuck – 7
Once England’s structure settled, he became a real threat on the wing, scoring two tries.

13. Henry Slade – 5
Disappointing from one of the senior players. Seemed to be bullied whenever he carried the ball.

12. Seb Atkinson – 7
Showed great intent in kick chases and defence, though he spent 10 minutes in the bin for a silly offside. His eagerness was both his strength and his risk.

11. Will Muir – 7
An asset in the backfield—calm under pressure, handled kick chases well, and responded effectively with the boot.

10. George Ford © – 9
Started unsettled under Argentina’s pressure but adjusted well. Orchestrated a far more structured and dangerous England attack in the second half.

9. Ben Spencer – 7
Made sharp, effective decisions to counter Argentina’s blitz defence.

1. Fin Baxter – 7
Brought intensity—strong tackling and forced important turnovers.

2. Jamie George © – 7
Led the side with composure, helping reduce England’s penalty count as the game progressed.

3. Joe Heyes – 6
Key figure at the breakdown and in the set piece, contributing to England’s structure early on.

4. Charlie Ewels – 6
Performed steadily—nothing exceptional, but met expectations.

5. Alex Coles – 5
Spent time in the bin for a sloppy tackle and otherwise had a quiet, forgettable game.

6. Ben Curry – 6
Showed signs of a strong performance, but a few errors held him back.

7. Sam Underhill – 6
Reliable and physical, kept England’s momentum going.

8. Tom Willis – 8
Made a statement performance—possibly targeting Lions selectors. More than proved his case for higher honours.

Replacements – 6
Some good individual efforts but no game-changing contributions from the bench.

15. Benjamin Elizalde – 6
Provided safety in the backfield, but without notable challenges.

14. Rodrigo Isgro – 8
Intense in defence and a rocket breaking through the England line, gaining valuable attacking metres for Argentina. Made himself very involved in attacking phases, providing fast and flowing post-linebreak play.

13. Lucio Cinti – 6
He didn’t seem very present going forward and made little impact with ball in hand.

12. Justo Piccardo – 5
Every one of his carries seemed to get stopped in its tracks. Showed promise when able to move the ball but didn’t do enough with it.

11. Santiago Cordero – 6
Nothing extraordinary—he was present on the wing when the ball went wide, but failed to make any big breaks.

10. Santiago Carreras – 6
Never ineffective, but easily neutralised by England’s defence. Struggled to piece together structured phases, with Argentina mostly gaining territory through penalties or counterattacks.

9. Gonzalo Bertranou – 7
Kept the pace of Argentina’s attack very high, causing England plenty of headaches. His box-kicking struck a great balance between territorial gain and contestability.

1. Mayco Vivas – 7
A brick wall in defence and a bulldozer in attack. Very animated on both sides of the ball.

2. Julián Montoya © – 7
Provided a reliable set piece and handled the scrappy nature of the game well. A solid captaincy display when it was most needed.

3. Pedro Delgado – 7
Offered a strong presence in the scrums and at the breakdown, creating chaos for England.

4. Lucas Paulos – 6
Played a quiet game with little impact.

5. Pedro Rubiolo – 7
A textbook performance, capped off with a try—a solid outing for the second-rower.

6. Pablo Matera – 8
Plenty of strong carries and tackles from the ex-captain. Maintained high intensity, which was crucial for Los Pumas.

7. Juan Martín González – 6
Caused England problems at the breakdown in the first half, but faded thereafter.

8. Facundo Isa – 7
Made a strong impression attacking England’s line, especially during held-up phases. Unlucky not to score.

Replacements – 6
Added needed energy, but didn’t do enough to close the gap.