How Jamie George’s Lions message inspired England’s players to impressive victory over Argentina
England head coach Steve Borthwick (inset) and co-captain Jamie George.
Before they went out and put Argentina to the sword in such impressive fashion, England co-captain Jamie George had a message for his side’s Lions-free rugby team.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” the co-captain told his players. “WE are the holders of the shirt; the 15, 23 people who have been picked so far.
“WE are the holders of the jersey. Let’s fight and scrap and do everything we possibly can to retain them and make it difficult for the Lions lads to come back in.”
You would expect a note of defiance from your leader, a rallying call when thousands of miles from home, out of sight and mind, perceived as no more than a warm-up act for the main event down under.
In those circumstances, you would forgive him even exaggerating a little for effect.
‘Those sentiments don’t seem so wild and fanciful’
Only, this morning, those sentiments don’t seem so wild and fanciful. Andy Farrell’s squad, complete with 14 Englishmen, are toiling in Australia, struggling to get out of second gear against modest state opposition.
In contrast, hours after seeing them make painfully hard work of getting past the NSW Waratahs in an error-strewn Sydney display, England impressively dispatched Argentina 35-12 here in La Plata.
The same Argentina that had beaten those exalted men in red just a fortnight before, could not live with George’s unsung charges.
Afterwards, Tom Roebuck, the Sale Sharks wing and two-try man of the match, was quick to return to his skipper’s pre-match theme.
“There’s obviously a handful of players that’s going to come back in and they’re going to want their shirts back,” said a player now with four tries in five appearances for his country.
“We played today, we’ve got the shirt. For us it’s about how well can we play and stake our claim to keep that shirt. It’s all about backing yourself.”
On the evidence of this weekend, not all the English Lions should bank on automatic readmission to Steve Borthwick’s team.
In 2017, when England last toured Argentina in the shadow of a best of British and Ireland counter-attraction, the uncapped duo of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill took their chance so forcefully that two years later they started a World Cup final.
Who is to say Roebuck and Seb Atkinson, Fin Baxter and Tom Willis, from this class of 2025, won’t prove unmovable.
‘I expect us to move forward again’
“And I expect this team to improve this week,” warned Borthwick. “As these players get aligned, more conditioned to how we want to play, I expect us to move forward again.”
The Lions might be 7,500 miles away, the other side of the Pacific, the world’s biggest and deepest ocean, but expect that message to register with the Red Rose contingent in Farrell’s squad.
Make no mistake, this was a proper Test match, with echoes of that unforgettable night in Marseille when these countries met at the 2023 World Cup.
On that occasion England had a player sent off (Tom Curry) in the first half and owed victory to George Ford’s game management and hat-trick of drop goals.
Here, England were reduced to 13 men in the first half (Alex Coles and Atkinson sent to the sin bin) and owed victory to Ford’s game management which included a first half drop goal.
He didn’t stop there, either. In nine minutes immediately after half-time, Ford had a hand in the three tries that effectively killed the contest. He finished with 15 points himself, and the undying gratitude of his boss.
“I didn’t think George would be here, I thought he’d be in Australia with the Lions,” Borthwick admitted.
“I feel very fortunate that he is. I feel very lucky to learn from him.
“Very few people in the world know rugby as well as the man next to me. This guy really is one of the best players.”
