Mystery Pumas present Springboks with a different challenge
OPINION: The Springboks know Argentina will be physical, passionate and difficult to beat on home soil. What they cannot predict is whether Felipe Contepomi’s revamped squad will unleash a new, more expansive style of rugby that catches the world champions off guard.
Contepomi’s squad is intriguing, featuring ten potential debutants, several returning veterans and a long list of established stars unavailable through injury, suspension and European club commitments.
That uncertainty may prove to be Argentina’s greatest weapon.
With captain Julián Montoya absent and first-choice flyhalf Tomás Albornoz suspended following World Rugby disciplinary action, Contepomi has been forced into a rethink.
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Rather than replacing experience with experience, he has opened the door for a new generation, selecting ten uncapped players who could make their Test debuts against the world champions.
The question now is whether that personnel shift will bring a different brand of rugby.
Contepomi has shown throughout his tenure that he is willing to broaden Argentina’s player pool through Super Rugby Americas, backing younger players capable of playing with greater tempo and ambition. Former Sevens stars Mateo Soler and Tobías Wade add pace and attacking instinct, while newcomers such as Agustín Fraga, Juan Penoucos and Leonel Oviedo offer fresh options across the park.
It raises an intriguing possibility: could South Africa face a more expansive, less predictable Pumas side than the one they have become accustomed to?
That potentially makes preparation for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus unusually complicated.
The Springboks know Argentina will never lack passion, particularly in Buenos Aires, where Los Pumas have produced some of their finest performances. But with so many unfamiliar faces and returning veterans such as Rodrigo Martínez and Tomás Lavanini mixed into the squad, there is little continuity to analyse.
Will the newcomers encourage Argentina to move the ball wider and attack with greater freedom? Will Contepomi lean on Lavanini’s experience and a powerful set-piece to maintain the traditional Pumas blueprint? Or will they simply embrace the emotion of the occasion and throw everything at the world champions?
The lengthy absentee list only adds to the uncertainty.
Montoya, Joaquín Oviedo, Gonzalo García, Justo Piccardo and Bautista Delguy are all unavailable because of European club commitments, while injuries have sidelined key figures including Thomas Gallo, Juan Martín González, Juan Cruz Mallía and Pedro Rubiolo.
South Africa arrive with a squad that has been carefully managed and strengthened by the return of several World Cup winners, while Argentina arrive as something of an unknown quantity.
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