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Pumas name XV to face Boks

Wednesday 06th August 2008

Back in charge: Felipe Contepomi

Pumas Head Coach Santiago Phelan on Wednesday named his Argentina team to face the Springboks in the Mandela Challenge match at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg, including a recall for Felipe Contepomi at fly-half.

In a total of six changes to the team that lost 13-12 to Italy, Patricio Albacete and Rimas Álvarez Kairelis form an entirely new second row.

Both locks play their rugby in France, Albacete with Top 14 champions Toulouse and Álvarez Kairelis with Perpignan.

Contepomi, who was left out of the matchday 22 against the Azzuri, will also captain the side. He owes his place at fly-half to the absence of Stade Français playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez, who fractured his hand against Italy.

Elsewhere in the back-line José María Núñez Piossek replaces Lucas Borges on the right wing while Federico Martín Aramburu will play at outside centre in place of Biarritz's Marcelo Bosch.

In the only other change to the pack Sale Sharks flank Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe returns to the starting XV ahead of Álvaro Galindo, who drops to the bench.

Argentina: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 José María Núñez Piossek, 13 Federico Martín Aramburu, 12 Miguel Avramovic, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Felipe Contepomi (c), 9 Nicolás Vergallo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 6 Martín Durand, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Rimas Álvarez Kairelis, 3 Pedro Ledesma, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Esteban Lozada, 19 Álvaro Galindo, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Benjamín Urdapilleta
22 Rafael Carballo.

Date: Saturday, August 9
Venue: Coca-Cola Park (Ellis Park), Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England
Touch judges: Matt Goddard (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)
Assessor: Tappe Henning (IRB)

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