George Ford will start at fly-half on his 100th appearance for England in the first Test against Argentina on Saturday.
The 32-year-old will become the seventh male centurion in English rugby history 11 years on from his 2014 debut against Wales in the Six Nations.
Sale Sharks fly-half Ford will co-captain England alongside fellow centurion, hooker Jamie George, in the first of the two-Test series against the Pumas, live on Sky Sports.
Ford, who was part of the England squad that reached the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, famously kicked a hat-trick of drop goals against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup as Steve Borthwick’s side reached the semi-finals.
“George has been a standout player for over a decade,” Borthwick said. “Reaching 100 caps is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about the professional and the person he is. Everyone in the squad is incredibly proud to share this moment with him.”
Ford is joined in the back line by centre Seb Atkinson and wing Will Muir, who earn their first England caps, while uncapped Bath back-rower Guy Pepper starts on the bench.
England are boosted by the return of Bath flanker Sam Underhill, who missed the Six Nations with an ankle injury, as they prepare to take on a side ranked fifth in the world and who Borthwick conceded are favourites.
“We’re excited to be playing in Argentina and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side,” Borthwick added.
“Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin they came into this series as favourites. They’re brilliantly led by Julian Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge.”
Ford ‘unbelievably proud’ ahead of 100th England cap
Ford made his England Test debut in 2014
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ford said: “Obviously it will be an unbelievably proud moment for me and my family if it does happen. Just playing for England once was a dream when I was growing up as a kid.
“You never really think, even when you play once, that you’ll get near 100. I’m looking forward to it, I’m excited to play in this team. I think the main thing for us is to make sure we have a great week and hopefully a successful game at the weekend.
“We understand the challenge that’s ahead of us. Argentina are obviously in a great run of form, they’re a great team to play against and we’re away from home.
“It’s a pretty hostile environment when you come here but it’s incredible to play in. The plan for us is to be as well prepared as possible and impose our game plan on them, and get a great result.”
England team to play Argentina
Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Will Muir, 10 George Ford (co-captain), 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Fin Baxter, 2 Jamie George (co-captain), 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Charlie Ewels, 5 Alex Coles, 6 Ben Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Tom Willis.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Ash Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Cadan Murley.
England in Argentina live on Sky Sports
Watch England’s summer tour of Argentina – the first Test in La Plata on July 5 and the second Test in San Juan on July 12 – exclusively live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
