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Matera to become most capped Argentina player against England

Matera to become most capped Argentina player against England

CNA10-07-2025
Argentina have made seven changes to their side for the second test against England, and moved Pablo Matera from flanker to the back of the scrum where he will earn a record 111th international cap for the hosts in San Juan on Saturday.
A depleted England without their British & Irish Lions players outplayed their hosts in a comprehensive 35-12 victory last Saturday to ensure they keep their record of never having lost a series to Argentina.
Home coach Felipe Contepomi has made three changes to the backline with wings Matias Moroni and Ignacio Mendy coming into the side to form a back three with Benjamin Elizalde.
Simon Benitez Cruz also returns to scrumhalf to partner flyhalf Santiago Carreras, with the centre pairing made up of Justo Piccardo and Lucio Cinti.
Matera's move to number eight means Santiago Grondona is promoted from the bench to start, with Juan Martin Gonzalez the other flanker. Guido Petti and Pedro Rubiolo are in the second row.
Matera takes over from former hooker Agustin Creevy as Argentina's most capped player of all time.
Hooker Julian Montoya will captain the side again and has props Thomas Gallo and Francisco Gomez Kodela either side of him.
Argentina:
15-Benjamin Elizalde, 14-Matias Moroni, 13-Lucio Cinti, 12-Justo Piccardo, 11-Ignacio Mendy, 10-Santiago Carreras, 9-Simon Benitez Cruz, 8-Pablo Matera, 7-Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6-Santiago Grondona, 5-Pedro Rubiolo, 4-Guido Petti, 3-Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2-Julian Montoya (captain), 1-Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16-Bautista Bernasconi, 17-Mayco Vivas, 18-Pedro Delgado, 19-Lucas Paulos, 20-Facundo Isa, 21-Benjamin Grondona, 22-Augustin Moyano, 23-Nicolas Roger.
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