Argentina change three for All Blacks
Argentina have made three changes to the team beaten by Australia for a Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand in La Plata Saturday.
Tomas Cubelli comes in at scrumhalf for Martin Landajo, who drops to the bench for the fifth-round fixture at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata.
Thomas Lavanini returns at lock with Los Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade demoting Matias Alemanno to the replacements.
The final change to the run-on side sees Benjamin Macome, a substitute in the 25-32 defeat by the Wallabies, elevated in place of injured Juan Manuel Leguizamon.
In a replacements' reshuffle only hooker Matias Cortese, prop Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and loose forward Rodrigo Baez remain of the eight selected for the Gold Coast Test.
In come prop Lucas Noguera Paz, centre Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias and wing Horacio Agulla, and Landajo and Alemanno complete the bench.
New Zealand scored four tries for a bonus-point 28-9 victory over Argentina in Napier this month and will seek a sixth consecutive Rugby Championship victory over the South Americans.
Another bonus-point All Blacks victory in La Plata will seal a third consecutive Southern Hemisphere title for the reigning World Cup champions.
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Juan Imhoff, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Juan Martín Hernandez, 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Martín Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Benjamín Macome, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Mariano Galarza, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Matías Cortese, 17 Lucas Noguera Paz, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Baez, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Horacio Agulla.
Date: Saturday, September 27
Venue: Estadio Único Ciudad de La Plata, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 19.10 (22.10 GMT, 10.10, Sunday, September 28 NZ time)
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Deon van Blommestein (South Africa)
AFP
