Australia vs Argentina: Wallabies take on Pumas in Rugby Championship live on Sky Sports
Watch Australia vs Argentina in the Rugby Championship live on Sky Sports Arena from 10.20am on Saturday; Below, we look at team news, talking points, and hear the thoughts of Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie, Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma, and Australia skipper Michael Hooper
Last Updated: 25/09/21 7:56am
Australia coach Dave Rennie says the formula his team used to beat South Africa twice in consecutive Rugby Championship matches should work again on Saturday in the first of two against Argentina.
"What we've learned over the last few weeks is you've got to hang on in the fight for a long time, and sometimes it takes 60 or 70 minutes to crack a side," Rennie said ahead of the match at Townsville in north Queensland state.
"So we need to see that resilience on the weekend."
Argentina are winless in four Rugby Championship matches, losing twice each to South Africa and New Zealand. The Wallabies, 2-2, sit one point behind South Africa in the standings, with New Zealand unbeaten after four games.
Even still, Rennie says he knows a side like Argentina with nothing to lose can be as dangerous as any.
"They are a bit different, they'll want to express themselves, their forwards throw a lot more passes," Rennie said.
"They'll counter when given the opportunity, and they're very good at it. They're also really good at filling the field, very disciplined around the defence and it can be hard to break down."
Australia are looking to win three matches in a row for the first time since 2017. On Thursday, Rennie named Reece Hodge at full-back, the end of five consecutive Test appearances off the bench for the Melbourne Rebels player.
He will replace Tom Banks, who broke his right arm midway through the first half of Australia's 30-17 win over the Springboks last weekend.
Fellow Rebels player Rob Leota has earned his first start for Australia, at blindside flanker. He and Hodge are two of three changes to the matchday squad with playmaker James O'Connor set to make his first international appearance for the year from the bench .
Ledesma goes with unchanged Pumas
Argentina coach Mario Ledesma has made no changes to his starting side for Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Townsville, sticking with the team that lost to the All Blacks last weekend.
Still seeking a first win of the competition after back-to-back defeats by both South Africa and New Zealand, the Pumas will be looking to improve on the two draws they earned against the Wallabies last season.
Santiago Carreras, who made his first start at fly-half in senior rugby last week, will again wear the number 10 shirt, with the experienced Domingo Miotti backing up from the bench.
Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti will also reprise the promising centre partnership they debuted in the 36-13 loss to the All Blacks last week.
Ledesma has named three uncapped players on the bench in prop Rodrigo Martinez, No 8 Joaquin Oviedo and Carreras's younger brother Mateo, a winger.
The younger Carreras brother replaces Matias Moroni, who was the latest player to join Argentina's already lengthy injury list when he fractured his nose last weekend in Brisbane.
Ledesma said he thought the Wallabies, who have beaten world champions South Africa twice in the last two weeks, were a much-improved side.
"I think Australia is a different beast to what they were last year," the former Wallabies scrum coach told media on Thursday.
"It's a great challenge for us to play them at the weekend."
Hooper: Pumas have potential to burst Wallabies bubble
The Wallabies may be riding high after two wins over South Africa but captain Michael Hooper thinks Argentina will be no less of a challenge in Townsville.
The Pumas have conceded 136 points in four defeats and scored only 35 vs New Zealand and South Africa.
After a rare win over the All Blacks last year, Hooper captained Australia to two draws against the South Americans and so knows well that taking the Pumas lightly is foolhardy.
"Argentina pose very different threats but (are) no less dangerous. When they are 'on', they're a hard team," Hooper told media on Friday.
"I think in the games they've played, even though the score might not suggest it, they've made the All Blacks work and made it difficult for them at times, and we've got to be on our game tomorrow."
Australia were their own worst enemies at times against the Pumas last season, allowing themselves to be drawn into a dogfight and giving up too many penalties.
"They can hurt you if you're sloppy," Hooper added.
"If your discipline is not good, as it wasn't sometimes last year, they go three-six-nine on the scoreboard and then all of a sudden you're chasing a game."
The 113-cap flanker was also wary of Australia getting ahead of themselves in their quest for the brand of rugby they want to be identified with the Wallabies.
"Confidence and belief are high," he said. "The pitfalls of that are not sticking to that, and moving away from the game plan you're trying to develop.
"Off two losses, you're trying to find that solution. Then you get that solution and it's: 'OK, how do you grow that'. It's being comfortable with working at the little things, not looking for miracle passes or anything like that.
"Building a performance is something we need to keep working at."
Team News
Australia: 15 Reece Hodge, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nic White; 1 James Slipper, 2 Folau Fainga'a, 3 Taniela Tupou, 4 Izack Rodda, 5 Matt Philip, 6 Rob Leota, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 8 Rob Valetini.
Replacements: 16 Feleti Kaitu'u, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Darcy Swain, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 James O'Connor, 23 Jordan Petaia.
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou; 1 Facundo Gigena, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 3 Santiago Medrano, 4 Matias Alemanno, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Pablo Matera.
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Mateo Carreras.
