Six changes for Argentina, uncapped U20 also named on their bench

Argentina have named a team to face New Zealand showing six changes from their recent win over Uruguay. Los Pumas followed up their drawn series versus France with a record 79-5 victory over Uruguay at Punta del Este on July 20 and they have now made two alterations to their pack and four in the backline for their opening-round match of The Rugby Championship in Wellington.

Both changes in the pack are in the back row with Pablo Matera returning to skipper from blindside in place of Joaquin Moro and Juan Martin Gonzalez named at No8 instead of Joaquin Oviedo.

In the backs, Santiago Carreras is at fly-half for Tomas Albornoz. Lucio Cinti is at midfield for Jeronimo de la Fuente, Matias Moroni takes over from Ignacio Mendy on the right wing while Juan Cruz Mallia is at full-back for Santiago Cordero.

An exciting bench development is the inclusion of the uncapped Efrain Elias, the new Toulouse recruit who impressively skippered Argentina to a fifth-place finish at the recent World Rugby U20 Championship in Cape Town.

Argentina (vs New Zealand, Saturday)

1. GALLO Thomas (26 caps)

2. RUIZ Ignacio (10 caps)

3. BELLO Eduardo (24 caps)

4. MOLINA Franco (3 caps)

5. RUBIOLO Pedro (12 caps)

6. MATERA Pablo (101 caps, captain)

7. KREMER Marcos (67 caps, vice-captain)

8. GONZALEZ Juan Martin (31 caps)

9. BERTRANOU Gonzalo (60 caps)

10. CARRERAS Santiago (45 caps)

11. CARRERAS Mateo (20 caps)

12. CHOCOBARES Santiago (21 caps)

13. CINTI Lucio (23 caps)

14. MORONI Matias (82 caps)

15. MALLIA Juan Cruz (33 caps, vice-captain)

Replacements:

16. CREEVY Agustin (108 caps)

17. VIVAS Mayco (24 caps)

18. SCLAVI Joel (18 caps)

19. ELIAS Efrain (uncapped)

20. LAVANINI Tomas (86 caps)

21. OVIEDO Joaquin (5 caps)

22. BAZAN VELEZ Lautaro (15 caps)

23. ALBORNOZ Thomas (8 caps)