Los Pumas Name 34-Player Squad for Home Series Against South Africa and Australia

July 28, 2026
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Ultimate Rugby

With the opening three rounds of the Nations Championship complete, Los Pumas are preparing for a three-match home series against South Africa and Australia, with the Visa Galicia Cup on the line in all three fixtures.

Argentina will host South Africa at the José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires before taking on the Wallabies in Jujuy and Mendoza. Head coach Felipe Contepomi has named a 34-player squad for the series, with the group beginning its training camp in Cardales this afternoon.

South Africa

The reigning two-time Rugby World Cup champions will face Los Pumas at the José Amalfitani Stadium on Saturday, 8 August, with kick-off scheduled for 4:00pm local time.

Rassie Erasmus' side heads to Argentina after an unbeaten Nations Championship campaign, recording victories over England (45-21), Scotland (42-28) and Wales (43-0).

The two nations have met 40 times, with South Africa holding a commanding advantage. Los Pumas have won four matches, drawn one and lost 35. Argentina's most recent victory came in 2014, when they edged the Springboks 29-28 in Santiago del Estero.

The fixture will be the fifth meeting between the two sides at Vélez Sarsfield Stadium. Their previous encounters at the venue came in 2004 (39-7), 2005 (34-23), 2013 (24-13) and 2015 (26-12), with South Africa winning each occasion.

Australia

Los Pumas will then face Australia in back-to-back Test matches.

The opening encounter will take place at Estadio 23 de Agosto in Jujuy on Saturday, 29 August (4:00pm), before the series concludes at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza on Saturday, 5 September (6:00pm).

Australia enter the series under new head coach Les Kiss, following Joe Schmidt's departure. The Wallabies recorded one win and two defeats during the opening rounds of the Nations Championship, narrowly losing to Ireland (33-31), falling to France (42-26), and bouncing back with a convincing 57-10 victory over Italy.

Before travelling to Argentina, Australia will play two Test matches against Japan on 8 August in Osaka and 15 August in Townsville.

Argentina and Australia have faced each other 43 times. Los Pumas have recorded 10 victories and three draws, while the Wallabies have won 30 matches. Argentina's most recent victory came in their last meeting, a 28-26 Rugby Championship win in Sydney.

The match in Jujuy will be the first Test between the two nations in the province, while Mendoza will host the fixture for the fifth time. Previous meetings there took place in 2014 (Australia won 21-17), 2015 (34-9), 2017 (37-20) and 2022 (41-26).

Contepomi Names 34-Player Squad

Felipe Contepomi has selected a 34-player squad for the upcoming series, including two players who will join the group as Development Players.

The squad features 10 uncapped players:

Facundo Cardozo
Franco Carrera
Agustín Fraga
Francisco Moreno
Benjamín Ordiz
Leonel Oviedo
Juan Penoucos
Juan Martín Scelzo
Mateo Soler
Tobías Wade

Speaking after announcing his squad, Contepomi said:

"These three upcoming matches are very important for us. We'll be hosting the two-time world champions and then facing the Wallabies in a two-match series, which always provides a huge challenge. Our objective is to prepare as well as possible and be ready to perform in all three matches."

He also explained the reasoning behind several selection decisions.

"The physical and mental wellbeing of our players is very important to us. That's why we've decided to rest several players, while also broadening the squad and giving opportunities to new faces. As we've always said, our goal is to continue developing players who can succeed with Los Pumas."

Contepomi also thanked supporters for their backing throughout the Nations Championship.

"I would also like to thank our supporters for the incredible support they've shown us in Córdoba, San Juan and Santiago del Estero over the past few weeks. These next three matches will be our final home fixtures of the year, and we're looking forward to finishing our home campaign in Buenos Aires, Jujuy and Mendoza."