Match Preview – Argentina vs Scotland

The final weekend of the 2018 June Internationals sees Argentina at home against Scotland on Saturday. In what is to be Daniel Hourcade’s final test match in charge Los Pumas need nothing less than a victory.

The fixture will be historic in itself. It marks a first ever appearance from Scotland in Resistencia. Prior visits to Argentina have seen matches spread around. Over the past decade Argentina has hosted Scotland for five test matches. They were played in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Rosario and Tucumán.

Resistencia is back hosting after previously doing so for Argentina vs Ireland in June 2014. That match marked the beginning of Daniel Hourcade’s regime at home. Having replaced Santiago Phelan in October 2013, the June internationals in 2013 began his tenure.

Four years later and Argentina is looking to end their June Internationals on a high. Attention is returning to Los Jaguares and the players and team are seeking a win to propel them ahead into the final rounds of Super Rugby.

In his final match in charge Daniel Hourcade has made six changes. These begin up front with Javier Díaz set to make his first test start, replacing Santiago García Botta. He joins Agustín Creevy and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro in the front-row.

Locking the scrum will be Guido Petti and Matías Alemanno. The latter has been promoted from the bench and trades places with Tomás Lavanini. In the back-row there is a double change as Marcos Kremer and Javier Ortega Desio make way for Tomás Lezana and Leonardo Senatore respectively. Senatore will be earning his 50th cap.

In the backs Jerónimo de la Fuente and Ramiro Moyano have failed to return to fitness. Their places go to Bautista Ezcurra and Sebastián Cancelliere, with the former making his test debut. Also set to debut is Juan Cruz Mallía who has been named as the replacement outside back.

Following his team’s 30-29 loss against the USA, Scotland Head Coach Gregor Townsend has rung the changes. Back to fitness to lead the team is Stuart McInally. He joins New Zealander Simon Berghan and South African Allan Dell in the front-row.

McInally missed out on playing against the USA in Houston and Canada in Edmonton. He replaces George Turner while Berghan and Dell come in for Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson respectively.

In the second-row veteran Grant Gilchrist has been recalled. He takes over from Lewis Carmichael to partner Tim Swinson who moves from flanker to lock. This sees Ben Toolis dropping to the bench.

The flankers will be Fraser Brown and Magnus Bradbury, neither of whom started in Houston. Brown was a replacement in that match for former Wales U20’s representative Luke Hamilton. Completing the pack is Zimbabwean David Denton who replaces Matt Fagerson.

In the backs Townsend has made just the one change. It comes on the wing with Dougie Fife joining Stuart Hogg and Blair Kinghorn in the back-three. Missing out is Byron McGuigan.

All told there have been 16 prior matches between Argentina and Scotland. Argentina leads the statistics with nine wins compared to Scotland’s seven. At RWCs 2007 and 2011 the teams met with Los Pumas winning on both occasions.

Since RWC 2011, however, Scotland has played the better rugby. Scotland has won the past three matches against Los Pumas doing so in Cordoba in 2014 and Edinburgh in 2014 and 2016.

Given the defeat in Houston and Argentina’s desperation to give Hourcade a winning send-off the favorites to win are Los Pumas. Argentina go in as favorites to claim victory by 12 points.

ARGENTINA
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Sebastián Cancelliere, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Tomás Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy (capt.), 1 Javier Díaz

Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Tomás Lavanini, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Juan Cruz Mallía

SCOTLAND
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Nick Grigg, 12 Pete Horne, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 David Denton, 7 Fraser Brown, 6 Magnus Bradbury, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Simon Berghan, 2 Stuart McInally (capt.), 1 Allan Dell

Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 James Lang, 23 Chris Harris

Date: Saturday June 23
Kick-Off: 16:40 local (15:40 Eastern, 12:40 Pacific)
Venue: Estadio Centenario, Resistencia
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
Assistants: Jaco Peyper (SARU) & Andrew Brace (IRFU)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Broadcasts: ESPN, ESPN+, TSN Go