Rugby Championship Preview - Australia v Argentina

The words “Australians, let us rejoice” will bellow around the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Saturday with a fat slap of irony attached to it – there seems very few reasons to rejoice as a Wallaby fan at the moment.  From a double defeat against their Tasman rivals, which perhaps was to be expected, to a home humiliation against the Springboks, which was not, morale in Australian rugby seems to be at an all time low.

Desperate times, desperate measures and all that.  Coach Ewan McKenzie is already under heaps of pressure and appears to have gone mad, dropping key man and stand-in skipper Will Genia on the basis of form, and drafting in Nic White.  Don’t get me wrong, White is a solid operator and will do a good job, but he’s not yet international class – let alone good enough to hold a candle against the world’s best scrum half over the last 3 years.  Genia is experienced enough to know what he’s doing wrong and how to rectify it, and without him the Wallabies lose a lot of their punch around the fringes – it’s a call that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

The Pumas, meanwhile, have been about as subtle as a punch in the mouth during the run up to this game, casually declaring that they’re preparing to bring the hammer down on the Wallaby scrum.  They may have a point of course, but if they are to turn over the hosts, they will need far more than scrum power.  One of the first things kids get taught is to take the ball running, but the Argentines seem to have forgotten that lately, taking the ball static and failing to make it over the gainline – they’ll need to address this if they’re to seriously threaten the Wallabies.

After the 2 months Australian rugby has had, a win against the tournament’s weakest opposition is expected – but it has to be earned.  And that would give the fans finally something to sing about.

 

 

Australia Team News

With lock James Horwill injured and scrum-half Will Genia out-of-sorts, No.8 Ben Mowen is handed the captaincy less than three months after debuting against the Lions in June and in just his seventh Test with Nic White preferred at No.9. Elsewhere prop Ben Alexander replaces Sekope Kepu in the front row while Waratahs lock Sitaleki Timani is named on a bench which also includes Brumbies outside back Tevita Kuridrani.

Starting Line up:  Israel Folau; James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Nick Cummins; Quade Cooper, Nic White; Ben Mowen (captain), Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy; Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons; Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper.

Subs: Saia Fainga'a, Scott Sio, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Will Genia, Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani.

Key Player

Ben Mowen.  There is no doubt that is this Wallaby backline get clean, front foot ball, then they will have the edge over their Puma counterparts.  Of course, getting that ball is easier said than done against one of the biggest and most physical packs in the world – meaning Mowen will have to lead the way in getting over the gainline and earning his side the right to go wide.  The last 12 months have been remarkable for Mowen, from captaining the Brumbies to winning his first cap to captaining his country, and his teammates will, in the absence of Genia and Horwill, be looking for him to lead from the front in Perth.

 

Argentina Team News

Veteran back Felipe Contepomi will start at inside centre in one of five changes to the side that lost to the All Blacks last weekend. Tomas Cubelli will wear the No.9 jersey for his first start in this year's Rugby Championship, with Martin Landajo dropping to the bench, while there is a double change in the midfield, with Contepomi to play his 85th Test match at No.12, while London Welsh-based Gonzalo Tiesi will feature at outside centre. The final change in the backline sees Juan Imhoff restored to the starting line up in the place of the injured Gonzalo Camacho, who returned to England after suffering a dislocated shoulder. After an impressive outing against the All Blacks up front, the forward pack features just one change with Agustín Creevy named at hooker, meaning Eusebio Guinazu drops to the reserves.

Starting Line up: Juan Martin Hernandez, Horacio Agulla, Gonzalo Tiesi, Felipe Contepomi, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Thomas Cubelli; Marcos Ayerza, Agustín Creevy, Juan Figallo, Manuel Carizza, Julio Farias Cabello, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, Pablo Matera, Juan Manuel Leguizamón

Subs: Eusebio Guiñaz, Nahuel Lobo, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Mariano Galarza, Benjamín Macome, Martín Landajo, Santiago Fernández, Lucas González Amorosino

Key Player

Pablo Matera.  Despite an allegation of eye gouging against South Africa, the young flanker has had a stand out tournament for all the right reasons – demonstrating a superb energy around the field and an intense physicality at the break down.  Not bad for a 20 year old.  But now he will be up against one of the form flankers in the tournament, Michael Hooper – how he handles the young Wallaby’s speed around the park will be crucial to whether or not the Pumas can establish any continuity of possession.

Key Battle

Ben Alexander v Marcos Ayerza.  It had to be a day for the props to have all the attention.  The Pumas are so confident in their scrum that they’ve publically announced they’ll be targeting it as an area of supposed superiority – and with good reason too.  Although not imploding, the much improved Australian scrum has generally been on the back foot for most of the Championship and there are still question marks about the otherwise excellent Alexander’s ability in the set piece – highlighted when he was sin-binned and subbed after being decimated by Alex Corbisiero against the Lions in the third test.  On his day, Ayerza is one of the most powerful looseheads in the world and has been destroying opposite numbers for club and country for years – if the Wallabies are to get the win, they will need Alexander to hold up against the intense pressure he will come under.  It will be a huge test for him – and the new scrummaging laws.

Prediction

Dropping Genia is a huge call but this Wallabies side still possesses class that belies their form.  If you look at the calibre of player – the majority of whom come from Super Rugby powerhouses the Reds and the Brumbies – it is hard to believe that they will not just ‘click’ under new management.  Despite the Pumas impressing against the All Blacks last week, they are still the tournament’s underdogs and, although I expect them to put up a good fight, the hosts should come out on top.  Wallabies by 9.