Argentina Lose Comfort Of Underdog Tag Against Wales

Having started Wales' slump successful Marseille 2 years ago, Argentina now they intend to contradict Steve Tandy a morale-boosting commencement to life arsenic nationalist boss.

It has been 27 months and 9 games since a Welsh Test triumph astatine Principality Stadium, a World Cup warm-up triumph against England.

Wales commencement a caller era arsenic underdogs successful Cardiff connected Sunday (15:10 GMT) erstwhile Tandy calls nan shots for nan first time.

The caput coach bids to travel up July's occurrence successful Japan that ended a humiliating 18-Test losing streak that started pinch a World Cup quarter-final defeat.

Standing successful their measurement are a Pumas broadside classed sixth successful nan world and who are caller from a tense and tight Rugby Championship.

Under caput coach Felipe Contepomi they person earned nan correct to travel to Cardiff pinch assurance arsenic a genuine top-level team.

Argentina commencement arsenic favourites against Wales - thing that would person been unthinkable a decade agone - earlier tougher assignments against Scotland and England.

Argentina won 2 of six Rugby Championship games – against New Zealand successful Buenos Aires and Australia successful Sydney – and yet that was a flimsy disappointment.

The Pumas were still successful title contention aft information four, but vanished bottommost for nan first clip since 2022, aft a location two-Test summertime bid conclusion by England.

Their only awesome Rugby Championship nonaccomplishment was a second-half blowout against South Africa successful Durban, erstwhile a 25-23 half-time shortage turned into a 67-30 hammering.

The Pumas were competitive, but 2025 has truthful acold grounded to supply nan immense strides hoped for aft a celebrated Dublin triumph against nan British and Irish Lions earlier their victorious circuit to Australia.

Nonetheless, Argentina are a squad pinch genuine aspirations of a European cleanable expanse erstwhile travelling to Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.

Contepomi was speedy to rumor a informing erstwhile nan taxable of Wales' 18-Test losing streak was raised.

"Wales' losing tally is history," said nan erstwhile Bristol and Leinster fly-half aliases centre. "Where they are coming from doesn't matter and nan past clip that we came to Principality Stadium was 2022 erstwhile they were coming done a unsmooth clip and hit us."

That was an disfigured 20-13 triumph nether Wayne Pivac a week aft Wales had been hammered 55-23 by New Zealand.

Argentina stunned nan Lions 28-24 astatine nan Aviva Stadium, but are without 7 players – six of them starters – from that success.

La Rochelle tight-head prop Joel Sclavi, Exeter's Franco Molina and second-row partner Pedro Rubiolo, who plays for Bristol Bears alongside flanker Benjamin Grondona, Zebre scrum-half Gonzalo Garcia, Benetton fly-half Tomas Albornoz and Saracens centre Lucio Cinti are sidelined though injury.

The nonaccomplishment of Garcia, who started nan first 5 rounds of nan Rugby Championship, is sizeable and leaves nan inexperienced Simon Benitez Cruz and Agustin Moyano, who made their Test debuts successful nan summer, arsenic nan options astatine Principality Stadium.

Nonetheless, Contepomi fields a 23 featuring 19 players who mislaid 29-27 to nan Springboks successful nan Rugby Championship finale.

"We had immoderate injuries, but we are happy pinch nan full group that we person present – I would beryllium very assured pinch playing immoderate of nan 32 that are training pinch us," said nan caput coach.

The autumn circuit will bespeak Argentina's extent and nan absentees person not prevented nan bookies pricing nan visitors arsenic patient favourites.

Captain Julian Montoya said: "I spot everyone successful nan squad and our belief is big, but we still request to do what we opportunity we are going to do."

Despite nan notable absentees Argentina's 23 still boast superior value that allows them to operation up their game.

They section Toulouse centre Santiago Chocobares, powerful back-row guardant Pablo Matera, sadistic flanker Marcos Kremer moves to lock, hooker Montoya leads from nan beforehand and (unrelated) Santiago and Mateo Carreras are game-breakers.

If Welsh legs are weary past dazzling Toulouse full-back Juan Cruz Mallia will utilization them disconnected nan bench.

Kremer topped nan Rugby Championship tackle floor plan pinch 97 - 11 much than second-placed Aussie Fraser McReight - while Mallia was first for offloads and Bautista Delguy was associated apical for cleanable breaks.

Only Springboks superstar Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and All Blacks helping aliases full-back Will Jordan hit much defenders than Matea Carreras and number 8 Joaquin Oviedo.

Argentina relish nan collisions, return pridefulness successful their set-piece, but besides person elusive runners that will springiness Tandy, a defence coach by trade, plentifulness to ponder.

Wales person not been supra Argentina successful nan world rankings since October 1, 2023, and that was only for a fortnight earlier that quarter-final defeat.

Tandy takes complete a broadside classed 12th, a position that nan Pumas person not been arsenic debased arsenic since October 2014.

Argentina person been a changeless successful nan apical 10 since past and will dream to support pushing by enjoying beardown autumn results.

Getting disconnected to a beardown commencement is important up of what look to beryllium tougher Tests astatine Murrayfield and Twickenham.

The new-look Wales set-up has presented analytical challenges this week arsenic nan Pumas prepared astatine St Peter's RFC successful Cardiff.

"We don't cognize what to expect from Wales successful position of nan strategies aliases strategy, but they will beryllium reliable to hit because they ever conflict and person quality," said skipper Montoya.

"They person a very bully coaching summons pinch Steve Tandy, Danny Wilson, Matt Sherratt positive Dan Lydiate and Duncan Jones," said Contepomi.

"They are very bully coaches, truthful I expect them to beryllium a very knowledgeable team.

"We respect Wales' passion and really they ne'er springiness up. They unrecorded and respire rugby truthful we are expecting a highly-motivated squad successful 1 of nan champion stadiums successful nan world.

"We are expecting a very, very reliable brushwood because Wales are highly motivated to commencement a caller era good and they are a squad pinch value passim their 23."

Argentina mightiness beryllium keen to talk up their hosts, but must besides header pinch awesome expectations.

Argentina: S Carreras; Delguy, Piccardo, Chocobares, M Carreras; Prisciantelli, Benitez Cruz; Vivas, Montoya (capt), Delgado, Petti, Kremer, Matera, JM Gonzalez, Oviedo.

Replacements: Ruiz, Gallo, Rapetti, Alemanno, Grondona, Moyano, Mallia, Isgro.