Argentina v Australia - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: Australia will look to continue their winning run under Les Kiss, whilst Argentina will be desperate to break a three match losing streak when these sides meet this Saturday in Mendoza.

Los Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi made just four changes to the side that went down to the Wallabies last week.

Efrain Elias and Franco Molina link up as the locks, with Tomas Lavanini dropping to the replacements bench.

Guido Petti shifts to flanker in place of the dropped Benjamin Grondona.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been thrust back into the Wallabies’ starting side while Les Kiss has urged Ben Donaldson to take his Mendoza chance ahead of his first start at No.10 in two years.

After a run of six losses, the side is chasing five-straight wins for the first time since 2021.

Kiss dismissed injury concerns with Carter Gordon, who has been shifted to the bench to give perennial back-up Donaldson a rare start at flyhalf.

“You saw the big gash in his head [last weekend] from a heavy knock, but he’s fine to play,” Kiss said of Gordon.

“We wanted to make sure we saw the 10s, all of them, in some form.”

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Instant impact from Wrighty ✨

He’s set to earn his 50th Test cap this weekend 🦘 pic.twitter.com/oId7PFDyAm

— Wallabies (@wallabies) September 4, 2026

Declan Meredith also started in three straight Tests after both Gordon and Donaldson were ruled out with injuries during the first round of the Nations Championship in July.

“They’ve had a good look at me and the new coaching team and we’ve had a good look at them; they’ve all had an opportunity to contribute,” Kiss said.

“Thinking forward, we will definitely start to narrow down our options … that’s in every position.”

Goalkicker Ryan Lonergan will remain at scrumhalf, and Tom Wright will play his 50th Test after being named at fullback.

Billy Pollard and Josh Nasser will share the hooking duties, with the in-form Brandon Paenga-Amosa rotated out.

It’s otherwise a full-strength pack with Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou, Josh Canham and Jeremy Williams all starting, while Harry Wilson has been recalled at No.8 alongside Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini.

Kiss has switched his centres though, with Isaac Henry benched and the on-song Hunter Paisami left out to make room for star pair Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

It will be the first time that pair – regulars in the midfield under Joe Schmidt – start together under Kiss, who is 3-0 as Test coach.

Fililipo Daugunu will earn his first start of the season on the wing, replacing Harry Potter, while Kalani Thomas takes Tate McDermott’s spot on the bench as back-up scrumhalf.

Kiss said Tom Hooper [shoulder], left out this week, would be fit to face South Africa in their next Test on September 27.

And he said McDermott had “a little knock on his knee” but was fit to play and wanted to give fellow Queensland Reds scumhalf Thomas, who has played one Test, a crack.

Prop Aidan Ross and lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto also come into the side on the bench, with Charlie Cale the back-row back-up.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi, without a swathe of overseas-based players, has shuffled his forward pack and moved playmaker Santiago Carreras to fullback to replace Geronimo Prisciantelli.

The inexperienced Nicolas Roger moves into the No.10, pairing with Simon ‌Benitez ​Cruz.

The Wallabies, who jumped Los Pumas into seventh in the world rankings this week, have won their first Tests in Argentina on the last two tours, only to be thumped in the return leg a week later.

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¡Entrenamiento con linda compañía en @LosTordosRC! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/aT4wLFCxGa

— Los Pumas (@lospumas) September 2, 2026

“We’ve tried a few new things there [in defence], and there’s a true belief there and attack … that’s crystallising, and at set piece they’re stepping up again,” Kiss surmised.

“The direction’s been solid, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves. It’s [this game] scary in its own right; not many teams do it the second time around.”

Players to watch:

For Argentina: Santiago Carreras’ deadly accuracy with the boot to posts could prove to be the difference on the day, as does his counter-attacking abilities. The halfback partnership between rookie Nicolas Roger and Simon Benitez Cruz could be where the game is won or lost. In the pack, Guido Petti provides an extra line-out option, and it will be interesting to see how he goes at flank, whilst Pablo Matera’s leadership and work at the breakdown could prove crucial.

For Australia: The inclusion of Joseph-Akuso Suaalii, in partnership with Len Iketau, could prove a nightmare for the Argentina defence with their game-breaking abilities. Ben Donaldson’s calm head and approach in tandem with Ryan Longergan will be a key combo. In the pack, Harry Wilson’s ability to link with the backline could be instrumental, whilst the experienced front row of Angus Bell, Billy Pollard and Taniela Tupou could be the point of difference.

*See the teams and prediction below!

Prediction:

Rugby365: Argentina by two points

Teams:

Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Nicolas Roger, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz, 8 Joaquin Moro, 7 Guido Petti, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Franco Molina, 4 Ephrain Elias, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Boris Wenger
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Moreno, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Juan Martin Scelzo, 21 Facundo Cardozo, 22 Gaonzalo Bertranou, 23 Mateo Soler

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Massimo De Lutiis, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Charlie Cale, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Carter Gordon, 23 Isaac Henry

Date: Saturday, September 5
Venue: Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza
Kick-off: 18.00 ART (21.00 GMT; Sunday, September 6, 07.00 AEST)
Expected weather: A day high of eight degrees Celsius and a low of two degrees Celsius with some sun, then turning cloudy, with wind gusts of 37 kilometres per hour.
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)