Felipe Contepomi makes three changes as Argentina gear up to face Wallabies
By
SABC Sport
4th September 2025
Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi has made three changes in personnel to his starting team for Saturday's Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies.
Los Pumas come into the Townsville clash on a high after claiming their first-ever win on home soil against New Zealand in Round Two as they impressed in that meeting.
However, they lost in-form flyhalf Tomas Albornoz to injury during that triumph, and he has not recovered in time to tackle Australia as a dislocated finger keeps him out.
That means his replacement in the Round Two Test, Santiago Carreras, continues in his absence and he didn't put a foot wrong against New Zealand in the Buenos Aires win.
He's the only tweak to the backline as Gonzalo Garcia remains in the number nine shirt while Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti continue their solid midfield combination.
It's unsurprising to see the same back three picked again, as Mateo Carreras and Bautista Delguy are the two wings alongside the impressive Juan Cruz Mallia at number 15.
Up front, there is a change at tighthead where the vastly experienced Joel Sclavi replaces Pedro Delgado and joins Mayco Vivas and skipper Julian Montoya in the front row.
It's as you were in the engine room where Franco Molina and Pedro Rubioli start together, but Marcos Kremer comes in for Joaquin Oviedo in the back row. Kremer is on the flank alongside Saracens star Juan Martin Gonzalez which means a positional shift for Pablo Matera, who moves across to number eight for this vital fixture.
Contepomi has made several changes on the bench for this Rugby Championship fixture, with Boris Wenger and Francisco Coria Marchetti named as the replacement props.
Hooker Ignacio Ruiz and lock Guido Petti remain on bench duty and are joined by Oviedo and backline options Agustin Moyano, Geronimo Prisciantelli and Benjamin Elizalde.
Wenger and Prisciantelli are both uncapped players and could therefore make their Argentina Test debut if called upon at North Queensland Stadium in Townsville on Saturday.
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 AgustÃn Moyano, 22 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 23 Benjamin Elizalde
