Rugby: England’s Next Game, Latest Odds and Analysis
Daire Walsh
For the first time since their summer series win over Australia, England will find themselves back on the international circuit when Argentina pays a visit to Twickenham Stadium this Sunday.
UK betting sites will be taking a firm interest in their progression after they enjoyed a 2-1 success at the expense of the native land of Eddie Jones.
England’s head coach is in a buoyant mood for the first of four autumn tests, as encounters against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa await his charges later this month.
Win In Australia Lifted Weight Off England’s Shoulders
After coming off the back of two underwhelming Six Nations Championships – losing six games from 10 across the 2021 and 2022 editions of the tournament – there was considerable pressure on Jones and the team itself heading into their tour of Australia.
A heavy defeat to the Barbarians in Twickenham on June 19 certainly didn’t help matters and a loss in the first test to the Wallabies in Perth a fortnight later only served to enhance the scrutiny on the under-fire Jones.
The fact that England played the majority of this contest with an extra man (Aussie lock Darcy Swain was red-carded in the 34th-minute) and needed a brace of late tries to lose by a margin of 30-28 didn’t provide their supporters with much cause for optimism heading into the subsequent tests.
However, the inspired boot of Owen Farrell got the visitors back on track with a 25-17 triumph at Brisbane on July 9 and ensured their final duel at Sydney Cricket Ground seven days later was to be a series clincher.
Farrell’s dead-ball prowess came to the fore once again in the third test, but tries from Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith were every bit as important in a 21-17 English victory.
This has lifted some of the pressure off the shoulders of Jones and his players, but there are still some lingering doubts over them and that’s why they are only third favourites in the Rugby World Cup betting odds with just over 10 months to go to the finals in France.
England Major Favourites To Win This Weekend
Interestingly, it is Argentina who will also provide the opposition in their opening game of Pool D at the World Cup.
A lot is expected to happen between now and then, but this weekend’s clash should be useful for both sides nonetheless.
Although the best betting sites for rugby union will offer their take on how that World Cup game might transpire in time, their focus for now is on this impending autumn showdown.
Despite the presence of his fellow Aussie Michael Cheika in the Argentinian corner – who remarkably is also in charge of the Lebanon side that are facing Australia in the Rugby League World Cup quarter-final in Huddersfield on Friday – Jones’ men are firm favourites to begin the Autumn Nations Series with a win.
Paddy Power are offering 1/7 on England coming out on top in the London venue.
There are even longer odds on an English success with other UK bookmakers, who have prices varying from 1/8 up to 1/11 respectively on the hosts getting the job done.
Argentina have faced England five times since Jones assumed the reins of the latter, with the Pumas suffering five defeats to date – including a 39-10 reversal at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
With this in mind, it comes as little surprise that the lowest odds available on an Argentine triumph are 11/2 with Ladbrokes.
Jones has registered one draw as England head coach (a 38-38 stalemate with Scotland in the 2019 Six Nations), but this is seen as an unlikely scenario on Sunday. However, you can back the draw at odds of 33/1.
Emphatic Victory For England Is Being Predicted
While Argentina have played six internationals since England’s last test encounter, a convincing win appears to be the favoured outcome amongst bookmakers.
As things stand, an English victory of between 11 and 15 points is proving to be a popular bet with William Hill offering 11/2 on this margin of success.
If the Pumas are to pull off a major scalp (something they did against both Australia and New Zealand during The Rugby Championship), it will most likely be at the end of a tightly-contested affair.
There are odds of 12/1 on Argentina coming through this fixture with a winning margin of between 1 and 5 points.
Several Novices In England Camp
With a view to strengthening the depth of his squad ahead of next year’s Six Nations Championship and the World Cup, Jones has named 10 uncapped players in his selection for the autumn series.
This includes Newcastle Falcons flanker Sean Robinson, who was drafted into the England camp as injury cover at the beginning of this week.
Experienced duo Owen Farrell and Jonny May withdrew from a pre-series training camp on October 24, but both players remain part of the autumn test squad and it is anticipated they will feature heavily over the course of November.
Tom Pearson, Adam Radwan, Tom Roebuck and Henry Slade were simultaneously added to the mix alongside Charlie Atkinson as an apprentice player.
Autumn Series Expected To Get Tougher For England
Given the current status of each side, betting apps are expecting England to come through their opening two tests during this window against Argentina and Japan.
That’s before having their resolve severely examined by South Africa and New Zealand – the two most recent winners of the World Cup crown.
This is perfectly understandable, given the Springboks and the All Blacks are quite often the standard bearers in the international game, and have broken the hearts of several northern hemisphere nations in the past.
At the same time, England’s form in the past 18 months has been quite erratic and there is no reason why they should be taking Argentina for granted in Twickenham on Sunday – not to mention the Japanese in the same venue six days later.