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In the final Pumas test match before naming his 31-man Rugby World Cup squad Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has made seven changes from the side that made history in Durban. The test match at Buenos Aires’ Velez Sarsfeld is to be a final chance for a number of players to earn the right to play in England and Wales and Hourcade is, in some instances, giving them their opportunities.
The front-row from Durban remains unchanged but, importantly, is the naming of Juan Pablo Orlandi ahead of Matías Díaz as the replacement tighthead prop. It gives him one late chance to sneak into the squad and also explores options due to the incertainty surrounding Ramiro Herrera.
In the second-row, meanwhile, Benjamín Macome is being given an opportunity of playing out of position. It comes at a time when competition for back-row places is immense and the performances of Facundo Isa and Leonardo Senatore in the 8 shirt to date this year indicate that Macome’s chance indeed may be one place forward in the scrum.
Macome will replace Guido Petti to join Tomás Lavanini in the starting second-row which sees Matías Alemanno again needing to have his opportunity from the bench. Alemanno would appear to be in competition with Macome and Manuel Carizza to join Lavanini, Petti and Mariano Galarza as the second-row squad members.
The new-look Macome-Lavanini combination offers plenty of ball-carrying ability as it does tackling. The pace around the ruck area is also expected to be competitive but the Victor Matfield controled lineout will ask questions.
Starting at the back of the scrum will be Juan Manuel Leguizamón who moves from openside flanker. The move sees Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe returning to the saide of the scrum and also sees Tomás Lezana earning his first test start and doing so in place of Pablo Matera who impressed in Durban. Lezana’s three tests to date have all been wins – against Italy and France in November and against South Africa last weekend.
Tomás Cubelli also impressed greatly but will play from the bench with Martín Landajo returning to play scrumhalf. He will do so inside a 10-12 combination of Nicolás Sánchez and Juan Martín Hernández who are to play together for the first time since November’s win in Paris.
Hernández will be joined by Matiás Moroni who started against the Wallabies in Mendoza and, like Lezana, has only played three times thgus far for Los Pumas. No player will be providing specialist cover from the bench with Juan Pablo Socino, a fly half / inside centre, named instead. Cover for 13 is thin with fullback Joaquín Tuculet the likely player to move into the position if required.
Tuculet has been retained at the back and the hat-trick hero Juan Imhoff will also start again. Completing the starting lineup will be Santiago Cordero who replaces Horacio Agulla from Durban. Cordero’s performances in the Rugby Championship have underlined him as a World Cup squad member which potentialy means Hourcade will be taking one of Agulla or Lucas González Amorosino but not both to the World Cup. González Amorosino has been named as the replacement outside back.
Argentina
1 Marcos Ayerza, 2 Agustín Creevy, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 4 Benjamín Macome, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Tomás Lezana, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 9 Martín Landajo, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 11 Juan Imhoff, 12 Juan Martín Hernández, 13 Matías Moroni, 14 Santiago Cordero, 15 Joaquín Tuculet
16 Julián Montoya, 17 Lucas Noguera Paz, 18 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Juan Pablo Socino, 23 Lucas González Amorosino
