A few months ago, a light aircraft crashed into a Volkswagen on a rural landing strip a few hours north of Santiago del Estero.
Dozens of neatly wrapped packages were found on the scene, all marked with a ‘Prada’ logo which is apparently used by the Sinaloa Cartel to identify its cocaine shipments.
The plane was registered in Bolivia and the car was linked back to this sleepy town where England will take on Argentina at the 30,000-seat Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
How and why this multi-million-pound stadium was built in one of the poorest regions of the country is a subject of speculation but it feels like the perfect setting for a shoot-out.
After seven flights in three weeks, England touched down for the latest leg of their world tour with scores to settle…
Estadio Unico Madre will play host to Argentina and England on Saturday night
RACISM
Skipper Jamie George spoke passionately about the racist abuse suffered on Argentine soil last year. Asher Opoku-Fordjour was one of the victims in Salta and the prop has been named on the bench. The raw emotion in George’s voice suggests his team will be fuelled by the incident and ready to showcase their brotherhood on the pitch.
INDIVIDUAL CRITICISM
When Ben Earl was asked about the circus-style debate around Henry Pollock’s place in the starting team, the No 8 responded: ‘You guys can’t wait to get rid of me, that’s why.’ Selection debates are inevitable when a team loses five Tests on the bounce. Borthwick has stuck with his trusted operators, while the likes of Rassie Erasmus and Andy Farrell have rotated their teams to build depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Earl, lining up against a powerful Pumas back-row, now has the perfect opportunity to show the nation that he is still England’s main man. With Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Noah Caluori also pushing to start, England’s midfield have a point to prove, too.
Ben Earl has the opportunity to prove his worth in an England shirt against Argentina
THE FOOTBALL
Lionel Messi has dominated the headlines in Argentina this week but a photograph of Fin Smith walking through the tiny arrivals terminal made it on to the front page of the local newspaper. England’s motivation runs deeper than the disappointment of watching the football team crash out of the World Cup to Argentina.
But in this footballing-adoring nation, the result on Wednesday has become a key part of the narrative. ‘They’re an incredibly proud nation and it’s going to be hostile,’ admitted George.
TUNNEL BUST-UP
When England played Argentina in the autumn, the result was overshadowed by a heated bust-up in the tunnel between Curry and Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi. England’s flanker shoved and swore at Contepomi in the tunnel and was subsequently labelled a ‘bully’ in the post-match press conference.
‘I haven’t spoken to Tom Curry since,’ Contepomi told Daily Mail Sport. ‘He is a world class player. If I said something that hurt him then I am sorry. Yes, there was an incident but I don’t take it personally and I’m sure he is a great lad.’ It is another element that has turned this into a grudge match.
PRESSURE ON STEVE BORTHWICK
In many ways, this feels like the most important match of England’s summer tour. Nobody expected them to beat South Africa and the victory over Fiji came with little resistance.
This is not a vintage Argentina side but the toll of seven flights in three weeks is a handicap against England. This should be the closest of three Tests and another defeat would leave the head coach under serious pressure when the team fly home on Monday. ‘We know there’s been talk around the team, the Six Nations performances and the disappointment around the South Africa loss,’ said George.
‘We want to make sure we turn that. We think we did a good job with Fiji in terms of putting out the performance we wanted and the convincing nature of it was impressive. It’s tough to beat Argentina in Argentina – I’ve been lucky to do it myself – but I think that would be a big statement.’
