England
Mike Brown, full-back, 6/10 At ease under the high ball – and there were plenty in the opening quarter – but made way after landing horribly on his head when taken out in the air. Has had concussion problems before, so it is a concern indeed.
Anthony Watson, wing, 7/10 Not in the circumstances he would have wanted but had an hour to show what he can do at full-back and acquitted himself well with his dancing feet and safe hands. It may be that he stays there for the autumn.
Jonathan Joseph, centre, 5/10 Looked lively early on but faded. Eddie Jones has fears that he does not physically impose himself on teams and there was little evidence to suggest otherwise here. Not the ball-carrier England were crying out for.
Henry Slade, centre, 6/10 Glimpses of that effortless grace that convinces you he has a long international future ahead of him but no more than that. Set up Semesa Rokoduguni but did not really click with George Ford.
Elliot Daly, wing, 5/10 Nicknamed Lazarus for his powers of recovery but in hindsight maybe he ought to have had the day off. Very little space to work in. Not really his fault but Jonny May comes into contention for Australia.
George Ford, fly-half, 6/10 Missed first kick at goal but steadied himself. His pass to Nathan Hughes was marvellous but there was not much more of that. Could not really click with Slade but that is not to write off the partnership just yet.
Ben Youngs, scrum-half, 6/10 Was perhaps England’s brightest star last autumn but must take some of the blame for their sluggishness here. It was his first international since March which may explain why, but he knows he can do better.
Mako Vunipola, prop, 8/10 Hates training, according to Jones, but loves playing. Made the hard yards with some strong carries, kept on tackling and showed good hands, too. Excellent performance – certainly did not look in need of a rest.
Dylan Hartley (capt), hooker, 6/10 Took it upon himself to try to add some urgency into England in the second half and relished his battle with Agustín Creevy. Hardly his fault for the sense of ennui that engulfed proceedings.
Dan Cole, prop, 6/10 As ever, got stuck in at scrum time and even had a carry or two. Cannot be faulted for England’s lack of dynamism but this match called out for someone such as Kyle Sinckler.
Courtney Lawes, lock, 7/10 Not quite at his very best – which he has consistently shown of late – but does come out of the match in credit, which cannot be said of everyone. Kept offering himself to carry but made little headway.
George Kruis, lock, 5/10 Made his tackles but could not muster any momentum in heavy traffic. Gave away a couple of penalties, too. Such are England’s second-row reserves, his place is likely to come under pressure next week.
Chris Robshaw, flanker, 6/10 Had a rumble into space early on and will always stick to his task. Can look a bit laborious, though, which is magnified in matches such as this. Will never want for effort, though.
Sam Underhill, flanker, 8/10 Did everything asked of him on his first Test here and it is the quality just as much as the quantity of his tackles that impresses. One of the defensive leaders, so takes credit for how blunt the Pumas were.
Nathan Hughes, No8, 7/10 Outrageous bit of juggling for the try which proved one of few occasions the crowd rose to their feet. Was outstanding in Argentina over the summer and continues to grow into the jersey.
REPLACEMENTS Jamie George 6 (for Hartley 59) Did his best to breathe some life into England Ellis Genge 6 (for Vunipola 68) One or two moments from fiery prop Harry Williams 6 (for Cole 68) Did little wrong on Twickenham debut Joe Launchbury 5 (for Kruis 57) Struggled to make an impact Sam Simmonds 6 (for Hughes 71) Little involvement on debut Danny Care 7 (for Youngs 62) Livened things up a bit Alex Lozowski 8 (for Joseph 62) Superb line break after coming on Semesa Rokoduguni 6 (for Brown 22) Fed off scraps.
Argentina
Joaquín Tuculet 6; Ramiro Moyano 5 (Cancelliere 55 5), Matías Moroni 7, Santiago González Iglesias 5, Emiliano Boffelli 6; Juan Martín Hernández 5 (Sánchez 64 7), Martín Landajo 5 (Bertranou 68 6); Santiago García Botta 5 (Noguera 59 6), Agustín Creevy (capt) 5 (Montoya 68 5), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro 5 (Pieretto 59 5), Matías Alemanno 7, Tomás Lavanini 5 (Senatore 68 6), Pablo Matera 6, Marcos Kremer 7, Tomás Lezana 5 (Macome 57 6)
