Hourcade names Fresh Faces for Rugby Championship Opener

Los Pumas Head Coach, Daniel Hourcade has confirmed his team for Friday’s Rugby Championship opening match against the World Champion All Blacks in Christchurch. New Zealand will play host to Argentina in the first round for the first time in competition history. In 2012-2014 Argentina always played away to South Africa while New Zealand took on the Wallabies.

Hourcade’s team is the same as that which trained together on Monday. As such Agustín Creevy is to captain a much changed team from the corresponding Rugby Championship fixture in 2014. In total there are four players making their Rugby Championship run-on debuts, of whom three have never played a Rugby Championship fixture.

Guido Petti Pagadízabal will play his first Rugby Championship test after having debuted last November against Italy as a 19 year old. He will join veteran Manuel Carizza in the second-row who has not played a test match for Argentina since June 2014.

Joining them in the forwards will be a back-row of veterans Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe in addition to Facundo Isa who also debuted last November. A no-nonsense approach up-front nonetheless sees Hourcade putting out a formidable front-row. Marcos Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera both return from having started against the All Blacks in both 2014 tests.

Tomás Cubelli will start ahead of Martín Landajo at scrumhalf and will do so in combination with Nicolás Sánchez. Outside them Jerónimo De la Fuente will face New Zealand for the first time and also feature in the starting lineup for the first time in a Rugby Championship test match.

De la Fuente will form a new-look centre combination with Marcelo Bosch which sees the larger mid-fielder closer to the fly half and the distributing centre closer to his wingers. Veteran Horacio Agulla will play right wing and 2014 revelation Joaquín Tuculet is to play fullback. Completing the team on the left wing will be Santiago Cordero who makes his Rugby Championship debut.

Replacement hooker Julián Montoya will make his Rugby Championship debut should he receive game time. He is to join 2014 regulars Lucas Noguera Paz and Francsico Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro as the front-row replacements. Number 8 Benjamin Macome has been selected as the team’s replacement second-rower which sees Matiás Alemanno missing out while  Javier Ortega Desio will cover both sides of the back-row.

Covering from the bench as replacement backs will be the same three from Argentina’s most recent test match – November’s away victory against France. Martín Landajo, Santiago González Iglesias and Lucas González Amorosino were all involved with González Iglesias replacing Bosch in the 16th minute. His utility, and performance on that night, underline his selection ahead of Juan Pablo Socino who continues his long wait for his first test cap.

Of the fifteen players who started against the French Barbarians in La Plata only Guido Petti Pagadizabal, Jerónimo De la Fuente and Facundo Isa have been named to face the All Blacks. Hourcade has made adjustments due to having the full availability of those based abroad and also having rotated players in the two-match series.

Friday’s test will be played at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:35am Argentine time. It is to be the 21st test match between the countries with New Zealand having won 19 times and the teams competing to a 21-21 draw in 1985. There is to be no return test this year but they will meet on the opening weekend of the World Cup in London.

Argentina
1 Marcos Ayerza (Leicester, England), 2 Agustín Creevy (UAR), 3 Ramiro Herrera (UAR), 4 Manuel Carizza (Racing 92, France), 5 Guido Petti Pagadízabal (UAR), 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamon (Unattached), 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon, France), 8 Facundo Isa (UAR), 9 Tomás Cubelli (UAR), 10 Nicolás Sánchez (UAR), 11 Santiago Cordero (UAR), 12 Jerónimo De la Fuente (UAR), 13 Marcelo Bosch (Saracens, England), 14 Horacio Agulla (Bath, England), 15 Joaquín Tuculet (UAR)

16 Julián Montoya (UAR), 17 Lucas Noguera Paz (UAR), 18 Francisco Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (UAR), 19 Benjamin Macome (Bayonne, France), 20 Javier Ortega Desio (UAR), 21 Martín Landajo (UAR), 22 Santiago González Iglesias (UAR), 23 Lucas González Amorosino (unattached)

Head Coach Daniel Hourcade