Argentina to Experiment Further Against Australia

Los Pumas Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has made seven changes to the side which faced New Zealand last Friday. In seeking to keep all players fresh while experimenting to finalize his squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup Hourcade has called upon inexperienced players in a variety of positions.

Having debuted in the Rugby Championship on the left wing in Christchurch Santiago Cordero has been retained as a starter but moved to fullback. He does so in place of Joaquín Tuculet who suffered a minor injury. Regular starting winger Juan Imhoff returns to the left wing and will bre joined by Gonzalo Camacho who makes his come back to rugby after a twety-three month absence.

Camacho’s last match was away to New Zealand in 2013. He suffered a serious shoulder injury which required three surgeries and has seen him miss two entire seasons of English rugby with his club the Leicester Tigers. Prior to injury Camacho had been Argentina’s starting right winger and now with Manuel Montero out of the World Cup he has a golden opportunity.

So changed is the team today that Camacho’s last test featured only five other starters who will do so in this Saturday. The halves pairing of Martín Landajo and Nicolás Sánchez are the only returning backs yet Landajo was on the bench last weekend. Landajo replaced Tomás Cubelli with the verdict remaining wideopen as to who should be the starting Pumas scrumhalf in the World Cup.

Sánchez was not happy with his performance against the All Blacks but has established himself as Argentina’s leading fly half. Part of the problem in Christchurch was that he was not playing together with a second pivot outside him in at inside-center. Against Australia this is not to be so as Juan Pablo Socino of the Newcastle Falcons has been named to make his test debut.

Socino is a natural fly half and brings with him the required qualities to fill two two positions. He is being selected based on merit in the Aviva Premiership where he was identified by Hourcade as a cover option for Juan Martín Hernández who is again being rested this weekend. Also rested is outside center Marcelo Bosch which sees Matías Moroni set to make his first test start.

Moroni’s two previous tests, in 2014, were as a replacement against Scotland and Italy. He has been named ahead of Horacio Agulla and Jerónimo De la Fuente who both started last week but in different positions. Aged 24 Moroni has been a solid performer for CUBA in the URBA Top 14 previously as well as for the Pumas Sevens team. He is under contract with the UAR to play Super Rugby.

In the fowards there are three returning players from Camacho’s most recent match – Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, Manuel Carizza and Marcos Ayerza. Fernández Lobbe wore the 6 shirt on that evening but will do so wearing 7 in Mendoza. His partners in Hamilton were Pablo Matera and Juan Manuel Leguizamón, both of whom are missing. Matera is expected to face South Africa in Durban in two weeks time while Leguizamón has been dropped.

In place of Leguizamón Hourcade has named Javier Ortega Desio who impressed against the All Blacks from the bench, particularly as a ball carrier. Starting at number 8 was Facundo Isa who retains his spot. Carizza is to be joined by Tomás Lavanini who was one of Argentina’s biggest revelations in 2014 and is coming off a sound season for Racing 92 in France.

Up-front Ayerza will prop the scrum together with Ramiro Herrera and Agustín Creevy. It is to be the same starting front-row from Christchurch and the only area unchanged by Hourcade. Two of the three front-row replacements are different though with Santiago Iglesias Valdez and Matías Díaz coming in for Julián Montoya and Lucas Noguera Paz.

The match will be played at Mendoza’s Estadio Malvinas Argentinas this Saturday, July 25. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:40pm Argentine time.

Argentina
15 Santiago Cordero, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Juan Pablo Socino, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 6 Javier Ortega Desio, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (Captain), 1 Marcos Ayerza.

16 Santiago Iglesias Valdez, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Matías Díaz, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Lucas González Amorosino.