Sánchez to captain Changed Pumas in Bronze Final

Pumas fly half Nicolás Sánchez has been selected as captain for Argentina’s Bronze Final match against South Africa at London’s Olympic Stadium on Friday. He will lead a team featuring nine changes from last Sunday’s Semi Final.

Coming in at hooker is Julián Montoya for the injured Agustín Creevy. Montoya played 50 minutes vs Australia from the bench and will be the only specialist hooker in the Bronze Final. His replacement, if required, will be Lucas Noguera Paz, a specialist loosehead prop who can provide emergency hooker cover.

Both Marceo Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera retain their places in the front-row with Juan Figallo and Juan Pablo Orlandi both on the bench as cover. In the second-row Matías Alemanno comes in for Guido Petti who will be on the bench.

Back from injury to start at the back of the scrum is Juan Manuel Leguizamón. He will join Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Javier Ortega Desio in the starting back-row with Facundo Isa providing cover. Pablo Matera and Leonardo Senatore both drop out of the 23.

Tomás Cubelli returns to start in place of Martín Landajo at scrumhalf with Sánchez playing outside him in the same combination from Argentina’s opening World Cup fixture.

A new-look mid-field sees Jerónimo De la Fuente and Matías Moroni starting in place of Juan Martín Hernández and Marcelo Bosch, the former being injured and the latter dropped for Moroni. Hernández has been confirmed as having fractured a back bone in the Semi Final.

Both Santiago González Iglesias and Juan Pablo Socino will be on the bench covering the mid-field and fly half positions with Moroni set to move to wing if required. Coming in for the injured Juan Imhoff and Joaquín Tuculet in the back-three are veterans Horacio Agulla and Lucas González Amorosino with Santiago Cordero retaining his starting spot on the right wing.

Argentina
1 Marcos Ayerza, 2 Julián Montoya, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 4 Matías Alemanno, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Juan Fernández Lobbe, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez (Captain), 11 Horacio Agulla, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 13 Matías Moroni, 14 Santiago Cordero, 15 Lucas González Amorosino.

16 Lucas Noguera Paz, 17 Juan Figallo, 18 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Juan Pablo Socino