George Ford will become the eighth Englishman to reach a century of caps for his country after being named co-captain of Steve Borthwick’s side against Argentina.
England take on the Pumas in La Plata in the first of two Tests in July, with Borthwick without a significant contingent involved with the British and Irish Lions.
Fly half Ford will lead the side in combination with another centurion as Jamie George provides yet more experience in the front row, while Henry Slade, Freddie Steward and Sam Underhill are among those to provide experience elsewhere.
Bath wing Will Muir and Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson are primed to start on debut with flanker Guy Pepper, a teammate of Muir’s at the Premiership champions, in line for his first cap off the bench.
There is no Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after his suspension; Cadan Murley is set to return to the side for the first time since the opening game of the Six Nations after being named as one of two backs on the bench.
“George has been a standout player for over a decade,” head coach Borthwick said. “Reaching 100 caps is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about both the professional and the person he is. Everyone in the squad is incredibly proud to share this moment with him.
“We’re excited to be playing in Argentina and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side,” said Borthwick.
“Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, they come into this series as favourites. They’re brilliantly led by Julián Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge.”
England XV to face Argentina in La Plata (Saturday 5 July, 8.40pm BST): 1 Fin Baxter, 2 Jamie George (co-capt.), 3 Joe Heyes; 4 Charlie Ewels, 5 Alex Coles; 6 Ben Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Tom Willis; 9 Ben Spencer, 10 George Ford (co-capt.); 11 Will Muir, 12 Seb Atkinson, 13 Henry Slade, 14 Tom Roebuck; 15 Freddie Steward.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Alex Dombrandt; 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Cadan Murley.
