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Argentina team unchanged for Wales after shock defeat of England

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Dan Mullan/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Michael Cheika has given a huge vote of confidence to Argentina, naming the same starting team that defeated England last Sunday in London to take the field again this Saturday versus Wales in Cardiff. He has also named the same eight-man bench from Twickenham.

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It’s a gutsy call from Cheika in the sense that Argentina were in an 80-minute arm-wrestle with England that went right to the wire before the 30-29 victory was confirmed.

Unlike Wales, they also have a day’s less preparation leading into this second match of their Autumn Nations Series as it was last Saturday when Wayne Pivac’s Welsh team hosted the All Blacks.

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The Argentina team that Cheika selected to beat England had shown three changes from the previous outing versus South Africa on September 24, with Newcastle wing Mateo Carreras and props Thomas Gallo and Francisco Gomez-Kodel making the step up.

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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