Caluori and Northmore Strike Twice Each as England A Run in Nine Tries to Beat Argentina XV 59-24

It took Noah Caluori less than two minutes to announce himself. England A's winger crossed inside the opening 120 seconds at The Rec on Friday night, and although Argentina XV hit back to lead 14-7 inside a quarter of an hour, the home side's response was emphatic: nine tries, 59 points, and a 35-point win that left no doubt about which of these two development sides is further along. This was not a scratch England A team. Head coach Mark Mapletoft leaned on eight Test-capped players, and the quality told once the early wobble passed. Argentina, to their credit, came to play. Rodrigo Fernández Criado and Pedro Delgado both crossed while prop Archie van der Flier sat in the sin-bin, and for a few minutes the visitors led and the Bath crowd went quiet. But Max Ojomoh levelled in the 18th minute, Charlie Atkinson and Caluori added further tries, and by half-time England led 28-19 despite Santiago Pernas' late score for the Pumas. The second half belonged entirely to the hosts. Jack Kenningham and Jamie Blamire crossed within five minutes of the restart, and although Federico Serpa replied for Argentina, Luke Northmore's finish — the end of a sweeping move involving captain Fitz Harding and scrum-half Caolan Englefield — restored order. Tobias Elliott added another after some slick passing, Northmore crossed under the posts for his second four minutes from time, and the scoreboard read 59-24. Caluori finished with two tries and a RUCK rating of eight out of ten. Northmore matched him with a brace of his own and the same mark. Englefield, pulling the strings at scrum-half, was rated eight as well, and Harding — the captain, leading by example — earned eight for a performance built on awareness and work rate as much as carrying. Atkinson kicked five conversions before Billy Searle took over the tee and added two more. For Mapletoft, the evening was about more than the scoreline. England's senior side begin their autumn campaign against Australia at Twickenham on Sunday, and this fixture exists to keep the next men in line sharp and pushing. On this evidence, several of them are knocking loudly. Caluori's pace out wide, Northmore's finishing, Englefield's tempo — all of it was on display in front of a Friday-night crowd that got nine tries for its trouble. Argentina XV will take their own lessons home. They scored four tries of their own, led the game early, and refused to fold in the wet conditions. But the gulf in the second half — 31 points to five after the break — showed the difference between a side finding its feet and one that already knows where it is going. England A move on with momentum and, more importantly, with options. Steve Borthwick will have watched, and a few names from The Rec on Friday night will have moved a little higher up his list.