Contepomi shuffles Pumas pack in bid to end Argentina's losing run

Argentina’s starting XV includes four changes of personnel and a couple of key positional switches from the team beaten 27-21 by Australia for Saturday’s rematch with the Wallabies in Mendoza.

Los Pumas have slipped below next year’s Rugby World Cup hosts in the World Rugby Rankings as a result of that defeat, having fallen to eighth, and have now lost three games on the spin.

And in a bid to reverse the trend, head coach Felip Contepomi has made three changes to his pack and another at fly-half.

Upfront, Efrain Elias and Franco Molina link up as the locks, with Tomas Lavanini benched and vice-captain Guido Petti shifting to flanker in place of the dropped Benjamin Grondona.

Pedro Delgado is preferred at tight-head prop to Francisco Moreno, partnering loose-head Boris Wenger.

Meanwhile, Geronimo Prisciantelli has been omitted from the matchday 23 altogether, with Nicolas Roger promoted from the bench to start for only the second time in Tests at fly-half.

Roger’s inclusion sees vice-captain Santi Carreras revert to his usual club position of full-back.

Uncapped duo, flanker Facundo Cardozo and outside back Mateo Soler, have been named on the bench, as the Pumas look to blood more talent one year out from Rugby World Cup 2027.

Soler is the son of former Argentina wing, Facundo Soler, who won 25 caps between 1996 and 2002.

James Doleman will take charge of this fixture for the second time, having overseen Australia’s 20-19 victory in Buenos Aires in the 2024 Rugby Championship.

Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras; 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy; 10 Nicolas Roger, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz; 1 Boris Wenger, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 3 Pedro Delgado, 4 Ephrain Elias, 5 Franco Molina, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 7 Guido Petti, 8 Joaquin Moro.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Moreno, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Juan Martin Scelzo, 21 Facundo Cardozo, 22 Gaonzalo Bertranou, 23 Mateo Soler