It is in the nature of rugby to do a good turn whenever possible, so tomorrow in Manchester England set about bolstering Argentina's bank balance by staging a Test that should more properly have been played in Buenos Aires. Upward of 40,000 are expected at Old Trafford where Argentina are officially the 'home' team, but few will expect to see England's generosity rewarded by a Puma that makes a habit of biting the hand that feeds it.
Put centre stage at the last World Cup, Argentina came close to undermining the whole event by beating the hosts, France, in Paris on opening night and the last time they were over here they virtually cost the England coach, Andy Robinson, his job by winning at Twickenham.
Certainly Martin Johnson is under no illusions about a side that may be in transition after getting to the semi-finals in France and may be without key cogs because of club calls and injuries, but is still ranked fourth in the world – one above England.
All week, the England manager has been warning about the dangers of players becoming starry-eyed at the Theatre of Dreams, with the implication that anyone who does not stick to his script can virtually kiss goodbye to an international career. By the end of the month Johnson has to settle on the 32 players he wants in his elite squad and anyone looking for the comforts of an England contract will have to step up to the mark.
Certainly Johnson will be less than happy if England's defence leaks five tries as it did against the Barbarians last Saturday and he has made five changes with some of those missing unlikely to be on the plane when England fly out to Argentina to play the second leg of the series at Salta, in the foothills of the Andes next Saturday. "It's a very different challenge to last week," said Johnson, identifying the tackle area as key to winning the game and admitting that his players might have to go to the very edge of the law to do that.
"It will be more intense and the tackle area will be ferocious," said Johnson. "That will be the game.Whoever controls the tackle area will come out on top. They play right on the edge of that area and we have to be smart as well. If you do that then occasionally you'll be penalised but we have to win that battle."
The good news for England is that Argentina will be without their veteran hooker Mario Ledesma, one of the heroes of the 2007 World Cup who, along with Martin Scelzo is needed by Clermont Auvergne in the French cup final. Felipe Contepomi is also missing, still nursing the knee ligaments he damaged getting Leinster to the Heineken Cup final, but these days there is Argentinian talent in some depth, with most of those in the 22 berthed with clubs in France.
The coach, Santiago Phelan, is looking to his world-class fly-half, Juan Martín Hernández, in particular and he has a little local knowledge available in Sale's Toulon-bound No8, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe. The quality of the squad can be gauged from the fact that Leicester's prop Marcos Ayerza starts from the bench.
Johnson needs a big game from David Wilson, the Bath-bound tight-head prop who starts his international career opposite Rodrigo Roncero, once of Gloucester and one of the more awkward scrummagers on the world stage. Otherwise the debutants are Tom May, who starts at inside centre, and Matt Banahan, the giant wing who and did his career no harm by running through Doug Howlett before jumping above the former All Black to score one of the three tries created by the boot of Andy Goode.
If England are to win at the Theatre of Dreams, Goode needs to be inch-perfect again, converting every chance that his forwards create because Argentina will be giving little away, other than their thanks for a healthier bank balance.
