Argentina v Australia - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: Les Kiss has reiterated his faith in Wallabies captain Harry Wilson, backing him as “the man” despite leaving him out of the side to face Argentina.

Australia will play Los Pumas in back-to-back Tests – in San Salvador this Saturday and Mendoza a week later – before returning to face South Africa in Perth and then battle for the Bledisloe Cup.

Wilson skippered the side in successive wins over Japan to begin the Kiss reign but won’t suit up this weekend. The No.8 has been rested and replaced as captain by veteran prop Allan Alaalatoa.

Rob Valetini will take Wilson’s place at the back of the scrum while Tom Hooper and Fraser McReight make up the rest of the back row, with Charlie Cale on the bench and Carlo Tizzano missing out.

The story continues below…

Wilson burst onto the scene in his debut Super Rugby season in 2020 but was then bumped down the pecking order and ultimately overlooked for the 2023 World Cup.

But after becoming the eighth Test captain in 15 Tests less than a year later, he has remained a consistent figurehead under Joe Schmidt and now Kiss.

That’s despite immense competition for spots in a position Kiss has openly conceded he’s looking to tinker with to discover true depth.

The coach has shut down any queries over his standing though, declaring “Harry’s the man” to lead the side into next year’s Cup just as he did against the British and Irish Lions last year.

“I named a captain, that’s Harry, and obviously when I don’t pick him there’s another captain that steps up,” he said.

“But you know, Harry’s the man who is in. He, he’s the man that I will back.

“The characteristics that he’s shown in that jersey show his emotion, his footy smarts; he’s a great footy player, has a respect for the players, works his bollocks off every time he’s on the pitch.”

“The responsibility of that is massive, but I don’t want it to be a weight.

“I want it to be something that inspires whoever is the captain, and someone who’s been through the mill and doing the job is probably the first person I’ll look to, as we get into ’27.”

With a crowded Test calendar ahead of next year’s showpiece, Kiss said now was the time to give Wilson a break, with the bigger picture goal of identifying different stylistic combinations that can work on the biggest stage.

“As we get further on this year, there’s going to be less opportunities to do some of the things we’re doing now, that’s for sure,” Kiss said.

“It’s not taking the eye off a dangerous Argentina, it’s focusing on what our strengths … in a way that allows us to be a bit futureproof.

“I need to know that I’ve got two good 15s [teams] and as the games get tighter, there, there might be a little bit more repetition of certain people in certain positions for sure.”

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi kept faith with the same side that narrowly lost to world champions South Africa.

The Pumas went down 10-17 in a tense one-off Test in Buenos Aires three weeks ago, and with no injuries, an unchanged starting XV was named for the match on Saturday in Jujuy.

Experienced flanker Pablo Matera again captains the side with regular skipper Julian Montoya unavailable.

Montoya is one of several senior players not considered due to club commitments. That group also includes Mateo Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, and Marcos Kremer.

Players to watch

For Argentina: Santiago Carreras has been excellent in the No.10 jersey this season, and if his pack dominates, he will dictate play on Saturday. Captain Pablo Matera makes life difficult for his opponents at the breakdowns, and if he gets under the visitors’ skin, it will be a long afternoon for Les Kiss’ team.

For Australia: It will be a big day for Melbourne-raised prop Isaac Kailea, who will play his first Test since 2024. He will face a huge battle against Francisco Moreno in the scrums. Rob Valetini will start in Harry Wilson’s usual No.8 jersey, and it will be interesting to see if the Wallabies use his big frame to draw defenders off the base of the scrum.

Prediction

Rugby365: Argentina by eight points.

Teams:

Argentina: 15 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz, 8 Joaquin Moro, 7 Benjamin Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Tomas Rapetti, 19 Efrain Elias, 20 Juan Penoucos, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Nicolas Roger, 23 Matias Moroni.

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Isaac Henry, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Isaac Kailea.
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Massimo De Lutiis, 19 Lachlan Shaw, 20 Charlie Cale, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

Date: Saturday, August 29
Venue: Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador de Jujuy
Kick-off: 16.00 ART (19.00 GMT; 05.00 AEST Sunday, August 30)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

Rugby365, AAP and AFP