Contepomi names new-look Argentina team for showdown with Boks

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi has named his matchday-23 for Saturday’s final Rugby Championship Test against the Springboks in Mbombela.

The Pumas have an outside chance of winning the competition, but many things will have to go their way, including beating the Boks and scoring three more tries than the world champions and denying their hosts a losing bonus point.

As things stand, the Boks have 19 log points, the Pumas have 14.

Team changes

In all, Contepomi has made seven changes and a positional switch to his starting team, following last weekend’s 29-28 win against the Boks in Santiago.

In the forwards, Santiago Grondona replaces the injured Marcos Kremer at blindside flanker while fellow loose forward Juan Martin Gonzalez and Pablo Matera swap places on the bench. Lock Pedro Rubiolo shifts to No 4 in a new-look lock pairing with Tomas Lavanini.

In the backline, scrumhalf Gonzalo Garcia and outside centre Matias Moroni start at No 9 and 13, respectively, while right wing Rodrigo Isgro and fullback Santiago Carreras slot into their positions.

Franco Molina, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Lucio Cinti and Juan Cruz Mallia will play off the bench.

The Boks meanwhile have included five of the seven players who didn’t travel to Argentina last week in their team for the match. Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe are all back in the Bok side for the match.

Willie le Roux has been left out of the team, with Aphelele Fassi starting at fullback, while No 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is injured.

Coach Rassie Erasmus has named Manie Libbok, who missed a late penalty last weekend which had it gone over would have won the match for the Boks, at flyhalf, with Handre Pollard playing off the bench.

Argentina: Santiago Carreras, Rodrigo Isgro, Matias Moroni, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia, Joaquin Oviedo, Santiago Grondona, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Tomas Lavanini, Pedro Rubiolo, Joel Sclavi, Julian Montoya (capt), Thomas Gallo. Bench: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Pedro Delgado, Franco Molina, Pablo Matera, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Lucio Cinti, Juan Cruz Mallia.