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Round three of the Rugby Championship takes place on Saturday in New Zealand and Australia. The All Blacks play host against Argentina while the Wallabies take-on South Africa.
In rounds one and two New Zealand recorded comfortable wins over Australia. Argentina and South Africa, in contrast, played out two different matches with the Springboks too good in game one and the reserve occurring in game two.
New Zealand lead the Rugby Championship comfortably. This has afforded the world’s no 1 team the luxury of rotating for round three. In the halves this sees a double change with TJ Perenara and Richie Mo’unga replacing Aaron Smith, and Beauden Barrett.
Flanker Sam Cane is also missing. He joins Smith and Barrett in being rested. Yet there is a place for Nehe Milner-Skudder. The star winger from RWC 2015 will start his first test match in a year.
Mo’unga will be making his test debut as will prop Karl Tu’inukuafe and replacement scrum-half Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.
Mario Ledesma has opted to rest Pablo Matera, and Gonzalo Bertranou while Juan Figallo returned to England following the win in Mendoza. With Figallo gone Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro moves to Tight Head and Santiago García Botta is back to start at Loose Head.
Tomás Lezana takes over from Matera at flanker and Martín Landajo does so for Bertranou. Tomás Cubelli is retained as the replacement scrum-half.
In the mid-field a fit-again Jerónimo de la Fuente replaces Bautista Ezcurra. He will partner Matías Moroni with Matías Orlando yet to play in the Rugby Championship.
The bench sees three alterations, all coming in the front-row. One rookie replaces another with Santiago Medrano making way for Juan Pablo Zeiss. At hooker Julián Montoya is fit for the first time in the tournament. He replaces Facundo Bosch who is back in France. Meanwhile Figallo’s departure sees Leicester Tiger Gastón Cortés back for the first time since 2012.
Even with player rotation the New Zealand side is formidable. Key match-ups from the match loom in the mid-field with Ngani Laumape and Jack Goodhue playing against Jerónimo de la Fuente and Matías Moroni. All four have been in top form in 2018. Up front Codie Taylor and Agustín Creevy will have a titanic tussle.
Saturday’s match will be the 31st test match between New Zealand and Argentina. Of the previous 20 New Zealand have recorded 30 victories. The remaining match saw the teams competing to a draw in 1985.
New Zealand’s record against Argentina, and form past and present combine to make the All Blacks firm favorites. A victory is expected by 20 points.
TEAMS
NEW ZEALAND
15 Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner Skudder, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (capt.), 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Luke Whitelock, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown
ARGENTINA
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Tomás Lezana, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy (capt.), 1 Santiago García Botta
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Gastón Cortés, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallía
Date: Saturday September 08
Kick-off: 7:30pm (Local), 4:30am (Argentina)
Venue: Trafalgar Park, Nelson
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Nigel Owens (Wales)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
