Two returnees, one clear message
Felipe Contepomi has named his strongest available Argentina side for Friday’s Nations Championship Test against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. Kick-off is 20:10 local time, with Luke Pearce in charge.
The headline calls are at full-back and in the back row. Juan Cruz Mallia returns at 15 and Juan Martin Gonzalez comes in on the flank, and neither had played for the Pumas since the defeat to England in November 2025. Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer complete the back row. Tomas Albornoz and Gonzalo Garcia pair up at half-back, with Santiago Chocobares and Justo Piccardo in the centres and Bautista Delguy and Mateo Carreras on the wings.
Up front, Francisco Moreno, Julian Montoya and Boris Wenger make up the front row, with Pedro Rubiolo and Guido Petti locking the scrum. The bench is built around forwards, with a 5:3 split that includes Joel Sclavi and Juan Martin Scelzo for the late scrum battles.
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A streak the Pumas want to end
Argentina’s last win over Ireland came in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final. Since then they have lost four straight Tests against the Irish, all of them in Dublin.
The table adds pressure. Argentina start the November window fourth in the Southern Hemisphere pool after one win from three in July, and victory at the Aviva would lift them above Australia.
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