Guy Pepper: Argentina fans have football-crowd mentality but England can ‘shut them up’

Argentina may feed off the energy of their fans, but Guy Pepper insists their football-style support can be silenced if England seize control in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.

Pepper made replacement appearances in La Plata and San Juan last year that included his Test debut and it was when sat on the bench that he was able to appreciate the passion brought by Pumas supporters.

But as England posted impressive away wins despite missing their British and Irish Lions stars, the 23-year-old flanker also noticed how quickly their backing could fade.

“It was very much football-crowd type mentality out there, which was cool to experience and different,” Pepper said.

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Rollercoaster of emotion

“It was noisy, but you were also able to shut them up by outscoring them. It was a real rollercoaster of emotion.

“Being on the bench for the two games, you could take in the fact that they’re all chanting and jumping around one minute and then you can hear a pin drop the next.”

England tours to Argentina have traditionally been held during Lions years, enabling emerging players to be tested.

Tom Curry and Sam Underhill famously made their debuts on the 2017 expedition to South America, while current starters Pepper and Seb Atkinson followed suit last year, with Alex Coles and Joe Heyes also establishing themselves.

Significant

Following the birth of the Nations Championship and England’s recent record of one win in six Tests, Saturday’s one-off match in the north of the country is not a time to be experimenting.

But with Pepper, Atkinson, Coles and Heyes all expected to be retained in the starting XV named by head coach Steve Borthwick on Thursday, the ground work laid last year has proved invaluable.

“On reflection, the 2025 Argentina tour was quite significant for this group, particularly with the Lions guys being away,” Pepper said.

“It was a pretty cool and special moment for us, an important step to breed new young players and allow them to make a name for themselves and keep the jersey.

“It was a pretty special tour and something that will only make us tighter.

“Since that tour we have really tried to step up the way we attack games, so that we are able to play through teams and also play around them. It’s exiting where we’re going.”

Logistical difficulties

England are currently staying in the heart of Buenos Aires and will be watching the football World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday at their team hotel.

Should Argentina reach Sunday’s final, travel to the airport for the flight home could encounter logistical difficulties due to the millions of supporters who would take to the streets in celebration.

“When they won it in 2022, the whole street outside our hotel was absolutely rammed,” Pepper said.

“We might struggle to get on the plane back!”

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