Preview: Argentina v France
They beat Les Bleus 30-19 in the first Test-match at the same venue last weekend.
Los Pumas were dangerous with ball in hand from kick-off during the first Test-match between the two teams and they managed to secure a 30-19 victory over France with winger Manuel Montero, fullback Joaquin Tuculet and lock Guido Petti all crossing the try-line while flyhalf Nicolás Sánchez contributed with 15 points from the boot which included three penalties and three conversions.
France on the other hand came into the game fielding seven new debutants as their first choice players were involved in the Top 14 semifinals with Toulon, Racing 92, Clermont and Montpellier.
Young flyhalf Jules Plisson captained the side for the first time and even though they did show some promising signs on both attack and defence it was evident that the new combinations had not quite settled at Test-match level yet.
With both team's having another crack at each other this weekend it is now time to turn our attention towards this weekend's starting line-ups, starting with Argentina.
Los Pumas head coach Daniel Hourcade has made three changes to his run on team for the second Test-match against France on Saturday.
Santiago González Iglesias replaces Juan Martín Hernández at inside centre while Tomás Cubelli comes in for Martín Landajo at scrum-half. There is one change in the forwards with lock Javier Ortega Desio replacing Tomás Lezana at flank while Guido Petti and Tomás Lavanini will form the second row combination.
Meanwhile, France will look to their experienced players returning from Top 14 action to boost their team this weekend.
Coach Guy Novès has made seven changes to the side which lost to the same opposition last weekend.
Maxime Médard replaces Hugo Bonneval at fullback while Gaël Fickou is preferred to Julien Rey at outside centre and Rémi Lamerat comes in for Jonathan Danty at inside centre. Flyhalf François Trinh-Duc gets the nod over last week's captain Jules Plisson while Yoann Maestri who comes in for William Demotte at lock, will skipper the team. Louis Picamoles will wear the number eight jersey alongside Kevin Gourdon who replaces Raphaël Lakafia at openside flank.
Noves told a press conference before the first Test-match last weekend that the aim of this tour is to develop talent in the team and test out new combinations.
"One of the positive elements of this tour is that we can measure the depth of the French reservoir," said Noves.
"There are those players who have been in reserve, but who could quickly integrate.”
Noves added that he is excited at the prospect of seeing a new group of French players shining on the international stage.
"The group will be together for the next three years,” explained Noves.
"They start from scratch. We will soon see if they have the physical and technical capacity to hold their place.
"It is a big opportunity for them. They have the chance to stake a claim. I am optimistic.
"Now we will face an opponent whose qualities are known – we will be able to measure our level against the Argentines.
"We are here to defend French values in a friendly country, but which is temporarily our enemy on the field."
Argentina come into this game as the fifth best team in the world according to the latest World Rugby rankings while France slipped down to ninth place after last weekend's defeat.
Players to watch:
For Argentina: Wingers Manuel Montero and Santiago Cordero alongside fullback Joaquin Tuculet possess sublime handling skills and attacking abilities which often leave opposition defences at sixes and sevens. If France kick too deep and allow any sort of space they are sure to be punished by this talented back three combination. In the forwards the second-row pairing of Javier Ortega Desio and Guido Petti look to be growing in confidence and they complement each other well with both locks bringing plenty of athleticism and physicality to the game.
For France: Fullback Maxime Médard has a powerful boot on him and he is also a good ball carrier who has the ability to run into the line as first receiver and exploit any sort of weakness in the opposition defence. Outside centre Gaël Fickou is one of those intelligent players who just have the ability to read the game and make the correct decisions at the right moments. Lock Yoann Maestri is a physical player who will lead from the front and put his body on the line for Les Bleus.
Head to head: The battle of the flyhalves will be one to watch. Los Pumas playmaker Nicolás Sánchez did everything which was asked of him last weekend but this time round he will be facing a more experienced opponent in the form of François Trinh-Duc who will be looking to add some flair to his team's backline. The contest between the loose forwards will also be an interesting match-up with skilful Argentina number eight Facundo Isa going head to head with the more direct and hard running Louis Picamoles.
Recent results:
2016: Argentina won 30-19, Tucumán
2014: Argentina won 18-13, Paris
2012: France won 39-22, Lille
2012: France won 49-10, Tucumán
2012: Argentina won 23-20, Cordoba
2010: France won 15-9, Montpellier
2010: Argentina won 41-13, Buenos Aires
2008: France won 12-6, Paris
2007: Argentina won 34-10, Paris
2007: Argentina won 17-12, Paris
Prediction: Argentina are the team coming into this clash with consistency in their team selection and they are playing at home. Los Pumas to win this one by 10 points.
Teams:
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Tomás Lezana, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Matías Orlando, 23 Lucas González Amorosino.
France: Maxime Médard, 14 Xavier Mignot, 13 Gaël Fickou, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Djibril Camara, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Kevin Gourdon, 6 Loann Goujon, 5 Yoann Maestri (captain), 4 Julien Ledevedec, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Rémi Bonfils, 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Replacements: Clément Maynadier, 17 Lucas Pointud, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Kélian Galletier, 21 Sébastien Bézy, 22 Jules Plisson, 23 Julien Rey.
Date: Saturday, June 25
Venue: Stade Monumental José Fierro, Tucumán
Kick-off: 15:10 (18:10 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be mostly cloudy with a high of 14°C
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
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