LONDON (Reuters) – Argentina will field two new front rowers and have made a switch on the wing in three changes for Sunday’s test against England at Twickenham.
But coach Michael Cheika, who has been juggling coaching duties with the Rugby League World Cup this week, has stuck with the bulk of the team that lost to South Africa in Durban in the Rugby Championship in their last outing in September.
Tighthead Francisco Gomez Kodela returns from groin surgery and Thomas Gallo at loosehead also missed the last international because of injury while Mateo Carreras replaces Juan Imhoff on the wing in what Cheika said a reward for good form for the 22-year-old at his English club Newcastle Falcons.
Uncapped Eliseo Morales is named among the replacements in place of injured scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli.
England and Argentina share the same World Cup pool next year but Cheika told a virtual news conference on Thursday that was not an immediate concern in their approach to Sunday’s test.
“For us it’s about changing a little bit the style of our and our mental approach as well,” he said.
Cheika said a trip to Twickenham would be a first for many of his side and while they have lofty ambitions, “we need to be focusing more on what’s our own personal scoreboard”.
“We’ve picked out four or five things that are very important for us as a team, and our own personal scoreboard this week, and we want to excel in those areas.
“If we do those things well, by consequence, we’ll be in the game,” he added.
Cheika has split this week with coaching Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup, where they play Australia in the quarter-finals at Huddersfield on Friday.
“My week’s been great. It’s been fully charged. And pretty, pretty busy. But all in all, I think it’s been simpler than I thought it would, travelling between the two camps, the messaging between the two,” said Cheika, who is Australian-born of Lebanese descent.
Team: 15-Juan Cruz Mallia, 14-Mateo Carreras, 13-Matias Moroni, 12-Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11-Emiliano Boffelli, 10-Santiago Carreras, 9-Gonzalo Bertranou, 8-Pablo Matera, 7-Marcos Kremer, 6-Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5-Tomas Lavanini, 4-Matias Alemanno, 3-Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2-Julian Montoya (captain), 1-Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16-Ignacio Ruiz, 17-Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18-Eduardo Bello, 19-Lucas Paulos, 20-Facunda Isa, 21-Eliseo Morales, 22-Tomas Albornoz, 23-Matias Orlando.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
