Argentina v Wales - Teams and Prediction

ROUND TWO PREVIEW: Harlequins lock Guido Petti will become the sixth player to reach 100 caps for the Pumas when he starts against Wales in the Nations Championship this weekend in San Juan.

Petti follows in the footsteps of second-row partner Matias Alemanno, who reached the landmark in last week’s campaign-opening loss to Scotland in Cordoba, having made his Test debut in 2014.

The 31-year-old came through the San Isidro club in Buenos Aires before spells with Jaguares, Bordeaux-Begles in France and now English side Quins.

“He’s a very authentic person, very committed, very loved by the whole squad,” Argentina captain Julian Montoya told reporters after the team announcement.

“I’m really happy for him.

“There’s no need to talk much about him as a player; his consistency has been tremendous, he’s played a lot and wherever he’s played he’s always performed well and represented us very well.

“He’s not someone who loves tributes, but I’m sure his family, his club, will be very proud,” the hooker added.

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Head coach Felipe Contepomi has made five changes for Saturday’s game with props Boris Wenger and Tomas Rapetti coming in among the front row.

Mayco Vivas drops to the bench, but Pedro Delgado is out of the matchday squad.

Rees-Zammit benched

Loose forward Marcos Kremer replaces co-captain Pablo Matera at openside flanker, while centre Justo Piccardo and winger Bautista Delguy take the places of Faustino Sanchez Valarolo and Rodrigo Isgro.

“We wanted to bring more speed in the front row,” Contepomi told reporters.

“What we have is internal competition in each unit, with players who come through together in pairs, and we believe this is the best combination for this game.

“But I think we’re already confident in our choice,” the 87-times capped former Puma added.

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named Louis Rees-Zammit on the bench with Ellis Mee taking the speedster’s place in the starting line-up.

Tandy has made two other alterations from last weekend’s win over Fiji as Sam Costelow is handed the No.10 shirt with Dan Edwards out of the 23 completely, and James Botham replacing Alex Mann at blindside flanker.

“Zam coming off the bench where the game starts to break up even more is an exciting opportunity for us to see him in that role,” Tandy told reporters.

“It’s about giving Costy the opportunity. He deserves it, he works his socks off,” Tandy added.

Former England Under-20s loose forward Kane James could make his Test debut, having been selected on the bench.

“He’s a fearless young man,” Tandy said of the 21-year-old.

“He’s ripped straight in, fitted into the group environment, I’m excited to see him go on the weekend,” the former Ospreys flanker added.

Players to watch:

For Argentina: Los Pumas have monsters in the second row in the form of Matias Alemanno and Guido Petti. They are the engines that could swing the momentum to Argentina’s side. If the Pumas get good quality ball then they will need control and a general to dictate play. Tomas Albornoz is the man in that crucial role.

For Wales: Ellis Mee gets a shot in the No.14 jersey with Louis Rees-Zammit. It will be interesting to see how the youngster copes in a hostile environment and underneath the high ball. Scrumhalf Tomos Williams is a livewire around the fringes and he will keep the Pumas on their toes. In the pack, Jac Morgan is a star and he could be a game-changer with ball in hand and at the breakdowns.

Prediction

Rugby365: Argentina by 18 points.

Teams:

Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Santiago Grondona, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Tomas Rapetti, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Simon Benitez Cruz, 22 Matias Moroni, 23 Ignacio Mendy.

Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Rhys Carre.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 Kane James, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Max Llewellyn, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit.

Date: Saturday, July 11
Venue: Estadio San Juan de Bicentenario, San Juan
Kick-off: 16.10 (20.10 BST; 19.10 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be cool and partly sunny.
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) & Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

AFP & Rugby365