Big shoes for Isa to fill as Cheika makes two changes
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Argentina head coach Michael Cheika has called on Facundo Isa to replace the big shoes of the injured Pablo Matera for the quarterfinal against Wales in Marseille on Saturday.
Cheika has only made two changes for this do-or-die game.
Matera suffered a grade three hamstring tear during the Los Pumas’ victory over Japan and he would take no further part in the World Cup.
Scrumhalf Tomás Cubelli replaces Gonzalo Bertranou in the only other change to the team that narrowly beat Japan over the weekend.
Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez are the only two Los Pumas players to have started every match at this years’ World Cup.
Tomás Cubelli will see only his second start in a World Cup knock-out match after the bronze-final in 2015. He played both the quarter-final and semi-final off the bench eight years ago.
There are nine survivors from the last World Cup quarterfinal Los Pumas played in 2015 against Ireland – Matías Alemanno, Agustín Creevy, Tomás Cubelli, Facundo Isa, Tomas Lavanini, Julián Montoya, Matías Moroni, Guido Petti and Nicolás Sanchez.
Sanchez has not missed a kick at goal at this years’ competition, converting all 10 attempts.
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Beffelli, 13 Lucio Clinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gomez, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Matias Moroni
Date: Saturday, October 14
Venue: Stade de Marseille
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT, 16.00 BST, 12.00 ART)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (England), Andrea Piardi (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Additional source @WorldRugby
