Roots to start England A's Argentina clash
Published on: 04/11/2026
Exeter Chiefs back-rower Ethan Roots will start for England A this Friday evening as they take on an Argentina XV at the Recreation Ground.
The game, which kicks off at 19:45 in Bath, will be broadcast live on the England Rugby YouTube channel and on Premier Sports.
Bristol Bears No.8 Fitz Harding captains the side as he joins Roots and Harlequins’ Jack Kenningham in the starting back-row. Harding previously captained the pathway side to a 29-25 victory over Spain in Valladolid nearly a year ago.
Head coach Mark Mapletoft said: “This group has shown excellent determination in a short training week, and we’re excited to see them come together for the first time this season at The Rec.
“The programme continues to play an important role in strengthening our pathway, giving players the chance to make a difference in an England shirt while continuing their development in a high-performance environment.”
There are 15 uncapped players selected in the match 23, including reigning Gallagher PREM champions George Hendy and Tom Lockett of Northampton Saints.
England A’s next game will be in February 2027 when they take on an Ireland XV at our very own Sandy Park. Tickets for that match on Saturday, 20 February are already on sale here.
England A:
15 Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, West Park Leeds RUFC, 1 cap)
14 Noah Caluori (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby, 2 caps)
13 Luke Northmore (Harlequins, Tavistock RFC, 2 caps)
12 Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby, Chippenham RFC, 2 caps)
11 George Hendy (Northampton Saints, Shipston-on-Stour RFC, uncapped)
10 Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, Oxford RFC, 1 cap)
9 Caolan Englefield (Gloucester Rugby, Old Rutlishians Rugby, uncapped)
1 Archie van der Flier (Leicester Tigers, Nottingham Rugby, uncapped)
2 Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, Workington RFC, 7 caps)
3 Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, Saracens Amateur RFC, uncapped)
4 Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, Gosport and Fareham RFC, uncapped)
5 Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, Langworthy Reds ARLFC, uncapped)
6 Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, East Coast Bays RFC, 4 caps)
7 Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, Reeds, uncapped)
8 Fitz Harding (c) (Bristol Bears, Beaconsfield RFC, uncapped)
Replacements:
16 Nathan Jibulu (Sale Sharks, Old Wimbledonians, uncapped)
17 Alex O'Driscoll (Saracens, Amersham & Chiltern RFC, uncapped)
18 George Kloska (Bristol Bears, St. Brendan’s RFC, 2 caps)
19 Tom Lockett (Northampton Saints, Colchester RFC, uncapped)
20 Max Hicks (Newcastle Red Bulls, Marist RFC, uncapped)
21 Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Bromley RFC, uncapped)
22 Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, Okehampton RFC, uncapped)
23 Tobias Elliott (Saracens, Harrow Rugby Club, uncapped)
Written By:
Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club
