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Los Pumas Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has confirmed his lineup for Saturday’s non-capped international against the French Barbarians in Rosario. The fixture will be played at Old Resian Club in Argentina’s fourth largest city. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30pm local time.
With the French Barbarians’ tour being the final opportunity ahead of the Rugby Championship and Rugby World cup to test out new players and combinations Hourcade has selected a team featuring new name players, notably Juan Pablo Socino. The uncapped Newcastle Falcons inside centre will play his first match for Los Pumas and do so at fly half. The selection signifies that he will play opposite Benjamín Urdapilleta who played the best rugby of his career this past season for Oyonnax.
Other new additions to the squad include back-rower Benjamín Macome, second-rower Juan Cruz Guillemaín and tighthead prop Francisco Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro who are back from Top 14 duty joining the squad for the first time in 2015. Others based abroad have not been considered with them instead being rested in between the completion of the European club season and the Rugby Championship. The exceptions being Joaquín Tuculet and Lucas González González who are unavailble due to minor injuries.
Also missing through injury are Pablo Matera, Manuel Montero, Rodrigo Báez and Felipe Ezcurra of whom all are expected to be fit ahead of the Rugby Championship. Selected in the absense of Agustín Creevy to lead the side is scrumhalf Tomás Cubelli who is the only starting back to have been a regular in the team in 2014. He is to be joined by nine others contracted to the UAR for the 2016 Super Rugby campaign.
Argentina
1 Lucas Noguera Paz, 2 Matías Cortese, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizabal, 5 Matías Alemanno, 6 Tomás Lezana, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 8 Benjamín Macome, 9 Tomás Cubelli (Captain), 10 Juan Pablo Socino, 11 Santiago Cordero, 12 Jerónimo De la Fuente, 13 Matías Moroni, 14 Matías Orlando, 15 Román Miralles.
16 Santiago Iglesias Valdez, 17 Matías Díaz, 18 Julián Montoya, 19 Bruno Postiglioni, 20 Antonio Ahualli De Chazal, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Lucas González Amorosino, 24 Joaquín Tuculet, 25 Facundo Isa, 26 Juan Cruz Guillemaín
