Pumas finalise squad for Boks
Pumas coach Santiago Phelan has confirmed a 26-man squad that will play the New South Wales Barbarians at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in Salta on Friday, and the Springboks in Argentina's opening Test of the Rugby Championship.
The squad trained at the Marinas Golf Club in Buenos Aires on Wednesday before Phelan revealed the squad, with players in contention undergoing fitness tests after their two-point win against the tourists last weekend.
Phelan and senior back Felipe Contepomi were happy with the competition within the squad, with senior players Juan Pablo Orlandi, Benjamín Macome, Gonzalo Tiesi and Martín Rodríguez not required at this stage.
The 26-man squad will continue to train in Buenos Aires until Thursday afternoon, before departing for Salta ahead of their second match against Michael Cheika's Barbarians team.
The following week the Pumas will head to Johannesburg, ahead of their opening match of the Rugby Championship against the Springboks in Soweto next Saturday.
South Africa defeated Argentina 27-6 in Newlands in last year's tournament, but the two sides drew 16-16 in Mendoza – their best result against the Springboks – in the return match.
Argentina squad for NSW Barbarians and South Africa: Juan Martín Hernández, Joaquín Tuculet, Horacio Agulla, Lucas González Amorosino, Gonzalo Camacho, Juan Imhoff, Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi, Santiago Fernández, Nicolás Sánchez, Tomás Cubelli, Martín Landajo, Juan Fernández Lobbe, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Nahuel Lobo, Pablo Matera, Leonardo Senatore, Patricio Albacete, Manuel Carizza, Julio Farías Cabello, Mariano Galarza, Marcos Ayerza, Matías Díaz, Juan Figallo, Agustín Creevy, Eusebio Guiñazú.
