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Chile host the Argentina XV this afternoon. The fixture is to be a non-capped international due to it being the Argentina XV and Los Pumas. The match is nonetheless a central fixture of the Sudamérica Rugby calendar. It is to be for there Sudamérica Rugby Cup, the most important competition in South America. Uruguay is the remaining competitor.
Chile enter the match having won two of their past three matches. Chile produced their best performance of the year to humble Paraguay and also completed a hard-fought victory over Brazil. The wins were followed by a loss away to Los Teros.
Chilean Head Coach Mark Cross has largely stuck with the team that faced Uruguay last Saturday. This sees Mauel Gurruchaga again captaining the side from hooker. He will again be joined by José Ramón Ayarza and José Tomás Munita in the front-row. Pablo Huete and Mario Mayol are to again form the starting lock combination behind them.
Chile’s back-row sees flankers Ignacio Silva and Anton Petrowitsch swapping numbers. While the No 8 position sees a change with Nikola Burtsic promoted to the starting lineup and Benjamín Soto demoted to the bench.
In the backs Jan Hasenlechner makes way for Beltran Vergara at scrum-half. Vergara will join Francisco González Moller in the halves today. The Sporting RC fly half is to be joined by Matías Nordenflyght outside him today. This is due to Francisco de la Fuente having returned to France. Nordenflycht moves from outside to inside center.
The vacant outside center position will be taken by José Ignacio Larenas. He was a 64th minute replacement in Montevideo for Nordenflycht. In the back-three Franco Velarde continues on the left wing but both Felipe Brangier and Rodrigo Fernández have been replaced. Their spot have gone to Matías Contreras and Tomás Ianiszewski.
The uncapped Martín Raddatz has been named on the bench. Regardless of whether he received game time or not he will remain uncapped due to the Argentina XV not being a test side.
Felipe Contepomi has rolled out the big guns for the Argentina XV. Jaguares players Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Juan Cruz Guillemaín, Felipe Ezcurra, Joaquín Díaz Bonilla and Emiliano Boffelli are all to start. All are to do so to give them more game time ahead of a demanding international season.
In the case of Tetaz Chaparro and Cruz Guillemaín the fixture is to be the first of the year. Due to injuries neither player has appeared in Super Rugby yet. Ezcurra, Díaz Bonilla and Boffelli have all played in Super Rugby and are in the frame for Los Pumas.
Boffelli and Tetaz Chaparro are to join Los Pumas upon return from Chile and are serious contenders to face England in San Juan. Both players trained in the starting formation under Daniel Hourcade earlier this week.
The powerful lineup under the command of Felipe Contepomi is expected to win comfortably. Realistically all players have already been considered or will be for Los Jaguares places. Chile has a side with the country’s leading players, some of which are particularly gifted.
In addition to the French-based José Ramón Ayarza and Pablo Huete Chile has noteworthy players in the form of Francisco González Moller, Mario Mayol, Matías Nordenflycht and Anton Petrowitsch. All remain amateurs though would easily fit into a professional environment.
The Argentina XV, though, is stronger across the board and has added power from the bench. The Argentine scrum is expected to ask a lot of questions of Los Cóndores and provide the foundation for the backs to attack.
CHILE
1 José Ramón Ayarza, 2 Manuel Gurruchaga (capt.), 3 José Tomás Munita, 4 Pablo Huete, 5 Mario Mayol, 6 Ignacio Silva, 7 Anton Petrowitsch, 8 Nikola Burisc, 9 Beltrán Vergara, 10 Francisco González Moller, 11 Franco Velarde, 12 Matías Nordenflycht, 13 José Ignacio Larenas, 14 Matías Contreras, 15 Tomás Ianiszewski
Replacements: 16 Tomás Dussaillant, 17 Sebastián Valech, 18 Lucas Bordigoni, 19 Manuel Dagnino, 20 Alfonso Rioja, 21 Jan Hasenlechner, 22 Benjamín Soto, 23 Martín Raddatz
ARGENTINA XV
1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Gaspar Baldunciel, 3 Eduardo Bello, 4 Jerónimo Ureta, 5 Juan Cruz Guillemaín, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 7 Lautaro Bavaro (capt.), 8 Santiago Portillo, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 12 Tomás Granella, 13 Bruno Devoto, 14 Franco Sábato, 15 Martín Elías
Replacements: 16 Roberto Tejerizo, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Pedro Ortega, 20 Santiago Montagner, 21 Lautaro Bazán, 22 Santiago Mare, 23 Franco Cuaranta
Venue: Estadio La Pitana, Santiago
Kick-off: 4:45pm local, 5:45 pm Argentina.
Referee: Francisco González (URU)
