England's preparations for their final autumn Test against Argentina have been severely disrupted after three key players were ruled out through injury just days before Sunday's crucial clash at Twickenham.
Triple Blow for Borthwick's Side
The England camp confirmed that Ollie Lawrence, Jamie George, and Tom Roebuck will all miss the Argentina encounter, dealing a significant blow to head coach Steve Borthwick's plans. All three players started in England's impressive 33-19 victory over the All Blacks last weekend, a result that marked England's tenth consecutive win.
This injury crisis forces Borthwick into a substantial reshuffle as his team targets an 11th straight victory and aims to complete a clean sweep of four November Tests for the first time since Eddie Jones's first autumn in charge back in 2016.
Replacement Options Emerge
The absence of centre Ollie Lawrence represents a particular setback, given how effectively his partnership with Fraser Dingwall had been developing. Lawrence picked up a hamstring injury in the closing stages of the New Zealand match, adding to his recent injury woes after he previously battled back from a long-term achilles problem.
Potential replacements for Lawrence include:
- Elliot Daly, who is now available after recovering from a broken arm
- Max Ojomoh and Henry Slade as more conventional centre options
- The more radical possibility of deploying Henry Pollock out of position
Pollock, who was recently named on a four-man shortlist for the world breakthrough player of the year award, has been training on the wing according to Borthwick, who praised his exceptional pace.
Caluori's Chance to Shine
With Tom Roebuck ruled out due to a foot injury and Tommy Freeman also unavailable, Borthwick's wing options have become unexpectedly limited. This has opened the door for 19-year-old uncapped wing Noah Caluori, who has been called into the squad.
Caluori has been on Borthwick's radar for some time, with the England coach previously indicating the teenager could feature during the autumn internationals. The Saracens wing has generated significant excitement with his aerial ability and try-scoring prowess, including five tries on his first Premiership start last month and another for England A in their recent win over Spain.
Other wing options include Henry Arundell, who scored a spectacular try coming off the bench against Fiji earlier this month, and the versatile Elliot Daly.
In better news for England, Freddie Steward has been cleared to play after passing stages two and three of the head injury assessment protocols following his early departure against the All Blacks.
The match against Argentina represents both a challenge and an opportunity for England as they seek to maintain their winning momentum while integrating new faces into the squad under testing circumstances.
