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Argentina Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has made three changes for Saturday morning’s test match against New Zealand. Matías Moroni, Guido Petti and Javier Ortega Desio are all to earn their first starts of the 2016 Rugby Championship.
Back from the Olympics Games, Moroni has been recalled. .He will play out of position, starting on the right wing. This sees Santiago Cordero moving to the left wing in place of the injured Manuel Montero. Moroni and Cordero will be joined in the starting back three by Joaquín Tuculet.
The trio all featured against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup 2015 Quarter Final. Moroni played outside center that afternoon, scoring the first try after linking well with Cordero.
The remainder of the Argentine backline is unchanged from Salta. This sees Martín Landajo again starting ahead of Tomás Cubelli at scrum half. Nicolás Sánchez and Juan Martín Hernández will play fly half and inside center respectively. Outside El Mago will again be Matías Orlando.
The forwards feature two changes. They are Javier Ortega Desio in for Juan Manuel Leguizamón and Guido Petti in for Tomás Lavanini. Both changes are, like Moroni, motivated by injuries. Leguizamón is with the team in New Zealand but was unable to train at 100%. Lavanini is out for the remainder of the year.
Ortega Desio will form a back-row combination with Pablo Matera and Facundo Isa. Against South Africa the young Matera and Isa proved to be highly effective. In particular their combative ball-carrying abilities put Los Pumas on the front-foot repeatedly.
Petti will join Matías Alemanno in the engine room. The second-row combination will see Petti acting as the mobile player with Alemanno very much being used as a work-horse. They will be supported, from the bench, by the uncapped Marcos Kremer. Having only just turned 19, Kremer will have a baptism of fire against the world champions.
Up front Agustín Creevy will lead an unchanged front-row. He will again he joined by Ramiro Herrera and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Both props are tightheads by trade but the latter has proven to be highly adaptable and played very well in Salta.
The replacement forwards will be led by veteran back-rower, Leonardo Senatore. The Rosario no8 is back from suspension. He will be joined by youngsters Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera Paz, Enrique Pieretto and Marcos Kremer as the reserve forwards.
In the backline the vastly experienced Lucas González Amorosino is missing. His place has been taken by Ramiro Moyano. Tomás Cubelli and Santiago González Iglesias will again be the reserve scrum half and fly half for Hourcade.
ARGENTINA
15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Juan Martín Hernández, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (capt.), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Lucas Noguera Paz, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Marcos Kremer, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Ramiro Moyano
