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Contepomi brings in big guns to face All Blacks

By @rugby365com
Thursday 14 Aug 2025

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi has revealed his team to face the All Blacks in Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener in Cordoba.

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Game one of the 2024 edition of the tournament saw Argentina claim a powerful win over the Kiwis in Wellington, and both teams have named starting XVs with eight personnel changes from that encounter.

Los Pumas will welcome back Santiago Chocobares, Bautista Delguy, Marcos Kremer and Juan Cruz Mallia after the quartet were rested in the July window, having each played big minutes in their respective Top 14 campaigns.

Pedro Delgado gets his second start in a Pumas jersey at tighthead prop, packing down alongside captain Julian Montoya and Mayco Vivas.

Western Force-bound Franco Molina joins Pedro Rubiolo in the second row, while the powerful back row of Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer and Joaquín Oviedo completes the forward pack.

Inexperienced but in-form halves duo Gonzalo García and Tomás Albornoz will act as game-drivers, with the blockbusting midfield partnership of Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti to feed.

There’s plenty of X-factor out wide, with Bautista Delguy, Rodrigo Isgró and Juan Cruz Mallía rounding out the starting XV.

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An experienced bench unit boasts 317 Test caps, bettering their opponents’ bench experience by 37 Tests.

Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 1 Mayco Vivas.
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Juan Martín González, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo.

Date: Saturday, August 16
Venue: Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba
Kick-off: 18:10 (21.10 GMT; 09:10 NZST Sunday, August 17)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

Additional reporting: Ned Lester, @Rugbypass

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