Argentina hand four players Test debuts against Springboks

Argentina have named four uncapped players in their matchday 23 for Saturday’s one-off Test against the Springboks at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires, where the teams will contest the Visa Galicia Cup.

Head coach Felipe Contepomi has handed a starting debut to tighthead prop Francisco Moreno, while Leonel Oviedo, Juan Penoucos and Juan Martín Scelzo could all earn their first Test caps from the bench.

The Springboks arrive in Buenos Aires after completing an unbeaten Nations Championship campaign, recording victories over England (45-21), Scotland (42-28) and Wales (43-0).

Historically, South Africa have dominated the fixture, winning 35 of the 40 Tests between the nations.

Argentina have claimed four victories and one draw, with their most recent success coming in 2024 when they edged the Springboks 29-28 in Santiago del Estero.

Saturday’s fixture also marks a significant milestone for Los Pumas, as it is 40 years since they first played at this venue. Since then, Argentina have played 40 Tests at the famous Liniers venue, winning 15, drawing one and losing 24.

Argentina: 15 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 8 Joaquín Moro, 7 Benjamín Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Tomás Rapetti, 19 Efraín Elías, 20 Juan Penoucos, 21 Juan Martín Scelzo, 22 Agustín Moyano, 23 Matías Moroni.

Date: Saturday, August 8
Venue: Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 16.00 ART (21.00 SAST; 19.00 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos (France), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)