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Cheika makes five changes as Argentina look to upset the Springboks
By Liam Heagney
Michael Cheika has announced an Argentina side to take on South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday that shows five changes to the starting XV from the round two Rugby Championship win over Australia.
The Pumas bounced back from a heavy opening round home defeat to the All Blacks by pipping the Wallabies 34-31 in Sydney with a late score.
Twelve days on from that eye-opening away victory, Cheika has now unveiled an XV to take on the Springboks that has four changes in the backline and another in the pack. The sole alteration to the forwards sees Lucas Paulos promoted from the bench to start at lock in place of the absent Matias Alemanno.
In the backline, Juan Cruz Mallia is at full-back in place of Emiliano Boffelli, and Juan Imhoff is on the left wing instead of Rodrigo Isgro with Mateo Carreras switching over to the right wing.
Santiago Chocobares is also at inside centre in place of Jeronimo de la Fuente, and Lautaro Bazan Velez is at scrum-half with Gonzalo Bertranou dropping to the bench.
Third-place Argentina and South Africa in second go into the Championship finale with one win each from two outings, but the title race could be decided by kick-off time at Emirates Airline Park as the unbeaten leaders New Zealand play winless Australia in Melbourne in the day’s earlier match.
The Springboks named their team on Tuesday, an XV that contained nine changes from the team that lost 20-35 to New Zealand in Auckland.
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Latest Comments
Not sure I understand. Its not obvious how you prioritize URC, Champions/Challenge Cup, Internationals, and rest. And if you add player development plans (eg experience of positions, playing conditions, game plans, opponents playing styles etc) it becomes harder. Additionally, consistency of selection helps with making adjustments to systems and tactics, so that further constrains your options. Travel challenges don’t make it easier.
Jake White has effectively decided that he would rather have a chance of success in one competition, at the expense of the other competition, than a near certainty of heroic failure in both. And he has implied that over time he plans to build enough depth to give the Bulls a chance in both the URC and Champions Cup simultaneously.
Not sure what is being proposed here that is supposedly a better plan.
Go to commentsIndeed he has STARTED more test games at 8. I actually said he’s PLAYED more games at 7, though. Do you remember where he tended to play when he came on wearing #20?
He likely will select on the basis of win ratios. IRE and ENG won 4, SCOT won 2 and WAL won none. 6 Irish, 6 English, 3 Scottish seems about right for the starting 15.
Yeah, I think he’ll definitely bring Beirne to have as a utility lock/flanker. Doris’ discipline and leadership has maybe rocked a little this year but he’s still the best 8 in the game.
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