Argentina will face the South African rugby team in Buenos Aires on Saturday evening, and the 'Pumas' squad will be playing without a number of important athletes, posing a serious challenge against the world champions.
Coach Felipe Contepomi is forced to exclude several regular players based in Europe because the match is taking place outside of an international window. This unusual situation arose because the Rugby Championship was cancelled this year in favor of the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' tour between South Africa and New Zealand.
Among the players unavailable to Contepomi are captain Julián Montoya, flank Marcos Kremer, wingfold Tomás Albornoz, center Santiago Chocobre, number 8 Joaquín Oviedo, scrum-half Gonzalo García, center Huston Piccardo, and wing Bautista Delguay. Their absence allowed for the inclusion of four players with no prior experience at the national team level; fullback Francisco Moreno received his starting debut. Leonel Oviedo, Juan Penucos, and Juan Martín Selco will come off the bench, making their debut for the national team.
'Pumas' enter the game as clear underdogs, as the South African rugby team dominated the National Championship campaign, defeating England, Scotland, and Wales, accumulating 130 points and scoring 20 tries. South Africa won with scores of 45-21 against England, 42-28 against Scotland, and 43-0 against Wales.
Meanwhile, Argentina had a difficult National Championship on home soil. Despite the victory over Wales, defeats to Scotland and England, along with a series of serious disciplinary issues, left the 'Pumas' with many questions.
History also clearly favors the South African rugby team. Since the first match between Argentina and South Africa in 1993, the 'Pumas' have only won four out of 40 encounters, with one draw. However, they may draw confidence from their recent victory over the 'Boks'—a thrilling 29-28 win in San Santiago del Estero last year. In that team, several players returned to the 'Pumas', including veteran flank Pablo Matera, who will lead the team, winger Santiago Carreras, dangerous winger Rodrigo Isgro, and experienced lock Thomas Lavannini.
