Australia’s national rugby team needed a pick-me-up moment last time out in The Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies got one.

In what was no doubt its best win post-Rugby World Cup, Australia played Argentina in front of an emotional crowd in La Plata looking to send a legend off with a win, only to steal the victory at the death with a penalty kick after 80 minutes. 

There’s now a question that remains heading into this weekend, however: Can the Wallabies win in Argentina twice in a row?

Australia has unquestionably had its struggles as it continues to adjust to a new coach and get back to an elite level of play, but there was a lot to like about its first test against Argentina. 

However, Los Pumas — long The Rugby Championship’s doormat, but on the rise as a true cream-of-the-crop rugby nation — definitely won’t go down twice in a row for home fans without a fight.

Here’s a look ahead at the second test of this year’s Rugby Championship between Argentina and Australia, slated for Saturday and streamed exclusively in the U.S. on FloRugby: 

Australia

Maybe the Wallabies just needed even more adversity stacked upon them to get out of a rut and pick up a crucial win against Los Pumas in La Plata this past weekend.

Australia’s comeback 20-19 victory in Round 3 — a rain-soaked match in front of a pro-Argentina crowd hungry for another major triumph over a former world champion — was a much-needed bounceback performance for coach Joe Schmidt and his side after back-to-back batterings on home soil against mighty South Africa to start The Rugby Championship.

Is a second strike on Los Pumas in Santa Fe in the cards? That remains to be seen.

Keep in mind, it wasn’t until over a quarter into their match with Argentina in the competition that the Wallabies seemed to wake up, with the tourists getting down in a 10-0 hole before roaring back thanks to tries from Jake Gordon and Rob Valetini. Plus, if it wasn’t for the boot of replacement fly-half Ben Donaldson (who was the Wallaby hero as he converted a penalty after the siren to give his team a win with a dose of drama) right at the end, we would still be talking about a winless Australia three matches into The Rugby Championship.

Instead, however, the Wallabies now have a major chance this weekend to leapfrog Argentina in the standings and get out of the table’s basement.

Schmidt has opted to make four changes to the starting XV for his squad’s second test in South America, but the most notable addition to the 23 will actually start the match on the bench.

Prop James Slipper is set to earn Saturday what would be his 139th senior cap for Australia, a mark which would tie legendary former captain George Gregan for the most all-time as a member of the Wallabies. The number would also put the 35-year-old Slipper into a tie for sixth among the most-capped players ever to play rugby union, being behind some of the sport’s icons in Alun Wyn Jones (171), Sam Whitelock (153), Richie McCaw (148), Sergio Parisse (142) and Brian O’Driscoll (141). 

Slipper will be the backup loosehead prop for an unchanged starting front row that includes the powerful Angus Bell, Matt Faessler and Taniela Tupou. In fact, the only change with the Wallaby forwards at all is in the second row, with Jeremy Williams coming on to pair with Nick Frost in replacement of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.

The backs are where most of the changes to the squad are apparent, with Schmidt looking for fresh faces to give Australia an attacking edge in Santa Fe. 

Fly-half Noah Lolesio is out with back tightness, so Donaldson will be rewarded for his go-ahead kick last week with a start this week at the No. 10 role. Andrew Kellaway will also shift from right wing to fullback as emerging star Max Jorgensen — who celebrated just his 20th birthday Monday — is elevated to take the open spot left by him. 

Melbourne Rebels lock Josh Canham (set to join the Queensland Reds in 2025) is named on the bench with hopes to be the 16th player to earn their first Wallabies cap this year, while Josh Nasser and Allan Alaalatoa join Slipper as front-row replacements. Langi Gleeson will provide cover in the back row, Queensland teammates Tate McDermott and Tom Lynagh occupy substitute roles for the backs and Josh Flook — who made his senior international debut this summer — could make his third test appearance of the year, as well.

Argentina

Hit in the face by a Wallabies comeback in front of home support in La Plata last weekend, what’s next for Los Pumas?

Is it a redemptive arc that will see coach Felipe Contepomi’s men rise up in Santa Fe this weekend when Australia plays them again? Or is it the beginning of a familiar tune in which Argentina slips down The Rugby Championship pecking order once more and toward the wooden spoon?

Regardless, Los Pumas’ rubber match against the Wallabies on Saturday should be intense, especially as they likely cannot afford another defeat to Australia standings-wise, with two tests against reigning world champion South Africa next on the docket. 

Ahead early in the first test before fading late, striking fast and playing an 80-minute match will be key this weekend for Argentina as it’ll be looking to regain some of the magic it found in Round 1 of this year’s competition when it defeated New Zealand in Wellington for a rare win against the All Blacks on their home soil.

Contepomi will hope to set the tone by making four switches to his starting XV for the second Wallabies test, with the most drastic changes coming in the forward pack.

Julian Montoya will captain Los Pumas at hooker for the 37th time as the 99-times capped Leicester Tigers man is slated to become a centurion with Argentina this weekend, which would make him just the fourth Argentine to do so. The front row on either side of him is unchanged from last weekend as Thomas Gallo and Joel Sclavi remain the props.

However, the second row behind them is completely revamped.

Out are Franco Molina (who is on the bench) and Pedro Rubiolo (who is inactive due to a concussion) and in are Guido Petti and Tomas Lavanini as the locks, with an unchanged back row of Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez — Los Pumas’ lone try-scorer last weekend — backing them up. 

Tomas Albornoz is the starting fly-half as Santiago Carreras is dropped to the bench, while Gonzalo Bertranou keeps his role as the starting scrum-half. Electric left winger Mateo Carreras and centres Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti keep their starting jobs for the weekend, as well. Opposite of Carreras will be Bautista Delguy on the right wing, while Juan Cruz Mallia will trot out first for Argentina at fullback. 

It’s a six-forward bench for Los Pumas without a familiar name: Agustin Creevy. Argentina’s all-time caps leader retired from test rugby following the conclusion of the match in La Plata, and while he wasn’t able to close his decorated international career in his hometown with a storybook win, the other replacements on the bench will hope to take charge in the first test since the end of the Creevy era.

Ignacio Ruiz is the man given the impossible task of filling Creevy’s boots on the bench, with Mayco Vivas and Eduardo Bello also being the replacement options for the front row. Gonzalo Garcia and the dropped Carreras are available for selection as backs, with the forwards rounded out by Molina, Joaquin Oviedo and Santiago Grondona. 

Squads

Argentina: 1 Thomas Gallo, 2 Julian Montoya (C), 3 Joel Sclavi, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 6 Pablo Matera (VC), 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 13 Lucio Cinti, 14 Bautista Delguy, 15 Juan Cruz Mallia

Bench: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 Santiago Grondona, 22 Gonzalo Garcia, 23 Santiago Carreras

Australia: 1 Angus Bell, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Taniela Tupou, 4 Nick Frost, 5 Jeremy Williams, 6 Rob Valetini, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 8 Harry Wilson (C), 9 Jake Gordon, 10 Ben Donaldson, 11 Marika Koroibete, 12 Hamish Stewart, 13 Len Ikitau, 14 Max Jorgensen, 15 Andrew Kellaway

Bench: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Josh Canham, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Josh Flook