Just when you thought Michael Cheika was in a pick-and-stick selection situation after beating the Springboks, lock Kane Douglas has been axed with backrower Lopeti Timani and winger Henry Speight on the bench for the Pumas’ clash in Perth on Saturday night.
Rob Simmons will lock in with Adam Coleman, Timani has to overcome one to be omitted from the nine-man bench, while Speight replaces Drew Mitchell on the bench.
Timani is the most interesting selection. He was also part of a nine-man bench against the Boks last week, but was the unlucky one left out come kick-off time.
That can’t happen this week, as the Argentinian pack is a far tougher proposition than that of South Africa.
The Pumas gave it to the All Blacks last weekend to be down 24-22 at the 50-minute mark but, in true All Black fashion, the men in black put the pedal to the metal to pile on four tries in 13 minutes to eventually win 57-22.
Let’s face it, the All Blacks are head and shoulders above to the rest of the rugby world, with England a clear second.
But there’s little difference between the Wallabies (ranked number three in the world), Springboks (four), Wales (five), Ireland (six), and the Pumas (seven).
In fact, the Pumas are better than seventh-placed ranking, but they need to add to their win column to prove it.
So far, in 21 games played in the Rugby Championship, the Pumas have only won two, downing the Wallabies 21-17 at Mendoza in 2014 and the Boks 26-24 this year at Salta.
They have scored 337 points since 2012, but given up 645 for a net deficit of 305, although they are a far better side than they where when they first started in the competition.
With the Jaguares playing in Suer Rugby for the first time this season with a draw pitting them against all five New Zealand franchises, Argentinians are getting regular competition against tough opposition, and it’s starting to show.
That’s what makes Cheika’s decision to dump Douglas so hard to understand, so too his continued support for flanker Dean Mumm and halfback Nick Phipps.
On the other side of the selection coin, the Pooper experiment notches up another Test, as does the 10-12 combination of Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley. Any thought of switching Israel Folau to the centres has been shelved – again.
There’s still no Kyle Godwin in the team, who has been in the 30-plus Wallaby squad for eight Tests but is yet to make the 23-man squad. He’s still invisible.
Wallabies team to play Argentina on Saturday
1. Scott Sio (21 Tests)
2. Stephen Moore (c) (108 Tests)
3. Sekope Kepu (69 Tests)
4. Rob Simmons (63 Tests)
5. Adam Coleman (3 Tests)
6. Dean Mumm (49 Tests)
7. Michael Hooper (57 Tests)
8. David Pocock (59 Tests)
9. Will Genia (69 Tests)
10. Quade Cooper (60 Tests)
11. Reece Hodge (2 Tests)
12. Bernard Foley (33 Tests)
13. Samu Kerevi (4 Tests)
14. Dane Haylett-Petty (6 Tests)
15. Israel Folau (44 Tests)Reserves (one to be omitted)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (67 Tests)
James Slipper (80 Tests)
Tom Robertson (0 Tests)
Rory Arnold (3 Tests)
Lopeti Timani* (0 Tests)
Sean McMahon (10 Tests)
Nick Phipps (44 Tests)
Tevita Kuridrani (37 Tests)
Henry Speight (5 Tests)
Utah
Guest
You're right. He made two runs. You covered them both.
Redsback
Guest
Wayne Barnes is referee. I ahould consider increasing the margin
Browny
Roar Rookie
He has gone with a 6:2 split... Speight dropped so Timani to debut.
Pm
Guest
6/2 split i reakon he will go with. Sean and Lopeti on in the last 20 or 25 minutes. Should be good to watch.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Speight was cut and Timani remains on the bench to get his debut...
coldturkey
Guest
The current Pumas are a different beast than the one Cooper played in 2013. They've grown a lot. I think the Wallabies will win though but only by 10 because as others have said they've already played their most physical games, been smashed around a bit and have probably shot their wad against the AB's. They'll be on a mental low, the Wallabies on a mental high and facing the "dirty Aussie" gamesmanship of having to fly all the way to Perth to play.
Redsback
Guest
I'll say Wallabies by 32: 51-19. Pumas have run out of locks and don't have Hernandez. I love the Pumas, but so does Quade and I expect him to have a field day like he did in Rosario in 2013. I had a bad feeling earlier in the week, but looking at the two teams, the Wallabies will win well.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Could argue that this is a perfect game for Pocock and Hooper to do their tandem work of Hooper tackling and Pocock hot on his heels to go for the steal.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Already had 7 this year (Arnold, Haylett-Petty, Kerevi, Frisby, Coleman, Alaalatoa, Hodge) so Robertson and Timani would make it 9. Pretty good spread across the franchises too; 2x ACT, 2x WA, 2x QLD, 2x VIC and 1x NSW. When will Holloway be fit again? Maybe he can be number 10...
Colvin Brown
Roar Guru
Redsback can see the WBs putting 50 on the Pumas?
The OG AlBo
Roar Guru
When you say never makes a good run that is just not true. Give him space and he's very effective. Just watch his try against the Argies last year. He ran through and over about five players down the sideline. Not to mention the greatest fend in history against the Shorks in Sydney. Mumm hasn't been as effective recently but to say he never makes a good run is just unnecessary hyperbole.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Yeah he's one of the few that maintains a solid work rate for 80. Douglas work rate over 80 has been very poor. Coleman is doing just as much in 55.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Over Super Rugby Simmons ran as much as Coleman, but for more meters per run. Tackles as much but misses less. Simmons is a work rate lock. He gets through as much or more work than anybody else.
Paul
Guest
Simmons has almost always being one of our only genuine 80 min locks (aside from lock cum 6's like Mumm)
concerned supporter
Guest
@TWAS, I expect Simmons or all other Wallaby Locks to have more core skills than just winning lineouts. Smashing People or Running Metres or Passing and Offloading,they are Wallabies for gods sake. Last night a mate brought up an interesting point. Why is the Australia v Argentina Test on Saturday on at the same time as the NRL & AFL blockbuster finals. If had been scheduled on Sunday Afternoon it would only be up against replays,and surely would have commanded a much larger TV audience. Doesn't make sense.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
The Cooper-Foley channel is where I would be running all day if I was Argentina. I support picking Cooper based on his current form (he has been really good), but I think we need to have a strong, or at least decent, defender outside of him. I would love to see Hodge at 12 and Kerevi at 13.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Good post, agree with all but the support of Mumm at 6. From memory Fardy actually has about as good lineout stats as Mumm. Additionally, with Simmons back in the team, and the fact that Coleman is actually decent in the linout, why do we continue to select Mumm? He is atrocious around the field, never breaks a tackle, never makes a good run (aside from one 15 metre run about 3 games ago that make his stats look better than they are), he isn't able to physically impose himself at the breakdown or to make big tackles. He is slightly more mobile than Fardy, but I think worse in terms of making meters due to his lack of physicality and mongrel. Fardy was one of the best players we had in Bledisloe 2 until he was taken off and replaced with Mumm, who achieved nothing. I just don't understand it, I would have thought that bringing in Simmons would be an excuse to bring back Fardy too. Especially given the fact that against Argentina we will need some mongrel and imposing forwards in order to counter them.
Connor33
Guest
Not that you need me to take my hat off, but this post was brilliant. Worthy of an article. Agree with everything bar Foley. And yes, the back line is starting to work to...something I really think can work with over the long term with Cooper and Foley in the same team.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The other thing is what are you watching for. If you are expecting Simmons to run around smashing blokes you are going to be disappointed. That's not what he does at test level. At the same time, are the blokes running around smashing opposition whilst doing less of their core role able to smash opposition the same at test level? If so you are going to be very disappointed when they offer more in the set piece, and can't offer the same around the park.
Shop
Roar Guru
He probably could have mentioned the draw in 2012 also.