Argentina v Italy:ITALY WILL be chasing their second victory in Argentina when they play the Pumas in today's Test match in Cordoba.
If they are to do well they will need to put last week's defeat against South Africa out of their system as quickly as possible, not to mention the jet-lag incurred from a taxing two-week tour schedule. But with Nick Mallett running the show there is a feeling Italy are on the up for real.
Mallett has a world-class number eight in Sergio Parisse to captain the side, and the Bergamasco brothers back to add edge to the attack. Mirco returns having seen Stade Français knocked out of the Top 14 play-offs, whilst Mauro returns from a 13-week gouging ban.
Not many sides in the world have the luxury of dropping a player as gifted as Felipe Contepomi, only to bring in Juan Martín Hernández instead. That is what Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has done, and so proved to Contepomi the petulance he showed in the second Test against Scotland will not be tolerated.
ARGENTINA:Bernardo Stortoni; Lucas Borges; Marcelo Bosch, Miguel Avramovic, Horacio Agulla; Juan Martin Hernandez, Nicolas Vergallo; Rodrigo Roncero, Alvaro Tejeda, Juan Gomez, Manuel Carizza, Esteban Lozada, Martin Durand, Alvaro Galindo, Juan Manuel Leguizamon.
ITALY:Andrea Marcato; Kaine Robertson, Mirco Bergamasco, Gonzalo Garca, Matteo Pratichetti; Luke Malean, Simon Picone; Ignacio Rouyet, Fabio Ongaro, Carlos Nieto, Santiago Dellap, Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Josh Sole, Mauro Bergamasco, Sergio Parisse.
