Argentina stick with same team that rattled Springboks for Australia test

Aug 27 : Argentina have kept the same starting line-up from their narrow loss to world champions South Africa earlier this month for Saturday’s first test against Australia.

• Coach Felipe Contepomi must again do without many of his overseas-based players but has opted for consistency after the narrow 17-10 loss to the Springboks in Buenos Aires on August 8.

• He had made 13 changes for the one-off test against South Africa after the last of their three Nations Championship tests in July and, despite the absentees, the Pumas handed the Springboks a gritty challenge.

• Santiago Carreras continues at flyhalf, pairing with Simon Benitez Cruz at scrumhalf while the second row pairing of Tomas Lavanini and Guido Petti have 194 caps between them.

• There are two changes on the bench with prop Rodrigo Martinez in for Mayco Vivas while Juan Martin Scelzo is replaced by utility back Nicolas Roger.

• Pablo Matera, winning his 125th cap, continues as captain in the absence of Julian Montoya.

Team: 15-Geronimo Prisciantelli, 14-Rodrigo Isgro, 13-Lucio Cinti, 12-Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 11-Ignacio Mendy, 10-Santiago Carreras, 9-Simon Benitez Cruz, 8-Joaquin Moro, 7-Benjamin Grondona, 6-Pablo Matera (captain), 5-Tomas Lavanini, 4-Guido Petti, 3-Francisco Moreno, 2-Ignacio Ruiz, 1-Boris Wenger.

Replacements: 16-Leonel Oviedo, 17-Rodrigo Martinez, 18-Tomas Rapetti, 19-Efraín Elias, 20-Juan Penoucos, 21-Agustín Moyano, 22-Nicolas Roger, 23-Matias Moroni.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)