Argentina and New Zealand will once again bring down the curtain on the Rugby Championship round when they go head-to-head at Estado Velez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Last weekend, these sides delivered an entertaining spectacle in Cordoba with the All Blacks kickstarting their campaign in style after clinching a deserved 41-24 victory.

That means the sides head into this fixture sitting on opposite ends of the Rugby Championship standings with New Zealand setting the pace in top spot – by virtue of a superior points difference over Australia, who beat defending champions South Africa in their tournament opener – while Argentina are languishing at the bottom of the table.

Despite that, Los Pumas will still fancy their chances of causing an upset against their visitors as they have beaten the All Blacks twice in New Zealand in recent years – in Christchurch in 2022 and Wellington in 2024 – but they haven’t managed that feat on home soil yet and they will be determined to achieve that goal this weekend.

That is easier said than done though and New Zealand will be determined to avoid that potential banana skin.

The All Blacks head into this fixture in a confident mood after clinching a 3-0 series whitewash against France in New Zealand and with last weekend’s impressive bonus-point victory in the corresponding fixture with Argentina.

For All Blacks boss Scott Robertson and his charges, another victory is crucial ahead of their eagerly anticipated round three clash with the Springboks at Eden Park – a venue where the men in black last suffered a defeat in 1994.

Where the game will be won

With both sides employing expansive game plans, this should be another exciting encounter between two attacking teams, who are not adverse to taking risks. However, while there should be plenty of thrilling action throughout the 80 minutes, there should also be a fair amount of mistakes which comes with the territory when taking those risks. The side which commits the fewest unforced errors, are more disciplined and make full use of their points-scoring opportunities should come out on top.

Last time they met

What they said

Argentina captain Julian Montoya highlighted his side’s discipline as an area which proved costly in Cordoba and identified the closing stages of each half as the time when they lost their way.

“Many of our mistakes were made in the final minutes of each half, where they scored more points against us. So, those minutes are where we clearly have to do better,” he said.

“Last year, it was the early part of each half when they scored very easily against us. This time it was the other way around.

“Clearly, the maul defence wasn’t up to par. We have to improve, but we win together, we lose together, so we have to regroup, recover, look inward, and we will come back.”

Meanwhile, All Blacks replacement tighthead prop Pasilio Tosi expects another tough challenge from Los Pumas.

“We’ve got to prepare and respect them the same as any other international team we come up against. They’re a strong team,” he said.

“We have to remember we’re in their backyard. The crowd loves the Pumas. We’re not at home, and the Pumas feed off their [the crowd] energy. We expect a response.

“They have got their fighting mentality, and they’re not going to back down until the end. We’ll be ready to face them head on.”

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Players to watch

If Argentina are to turn the tables on New Zealand, they will need experienced campaigners like captain and hooker Julian Montoya and back-row star Pablo Matera to come to the fore with barnstorming performances.

Montoya usually shines in the execution of his core duties while his play in the loose and leadership are also two of his strengths. Matera’s breakdown work, ball carrying and defence is of a high quality and if he can do well in those departments, the hosts could stun their more illustrious opponents.

Meanwhile, another player who will be crucial to Los Pumas’ cause is Gonzalo García, who is now firmly entrenched as his country’s first choice scrum-half. However, he was not at his best in Cordoba and with the exciting Simón Benítez Cruz waiting in the wings, Garcia will have to hit the ground running in Buenos Aires.

For the All Blacks, all eyes will be on new number eight Simon Parker, who is making his Test debut in this encounter. A hulk of a man, Parker caught the eye with several outstanding performances for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific and he will be hoping to make a big impact for the All Blacks with ball in hand from the base of the scrum.

On the other side of the spectrum, it will be a momentous occasion for veteran hooker Codie Taylor, who will become the 14th player to make 100 Test appearances for the All Blacks when he takes to the field in this clash. The 34-year-old has been a regular for his country since making his international debut in 2015 and will be keen to celebrate his milestone with a victory.

Also keep an eye on Wallace Sititi and Tamaiti Williams, who are set to make their first appearances of the year for the All Blacks off the replacements bench after recovering from respective ankle and knee injuries. Sititi and Williams were two of the All Blacks’ best players in 2024 and will be keen to make positive contributions when they enter the fray.

Main head-to-head

Although there are several exciting battles set to take place across the park, the duel between the two fly-halves will be an exciting one as Argentina’s Tomas Albornoz and New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett are amongst the leading playmakers in the world. Albornoz showed last weekend that he can mix it with the best and he will relish the opportunity of facing off against Barrett again.

At the age of 27, Albornoz might be lacking in experience to the 34-year-old Barrett but the Benetton stalwart is arguably the most improved player in this Argentina side who has caught the eye with some splendid individual performances in recent months. He is blessed with a wonderful skill set and superb playmaking ability but faces a seasoned campaigner in Barrett, who is a two-time World Rugby Player of the Year. Albornoz and Barrett will be expected to give their respective teams direction and momentum on attack and whoever comes out on top in this battle should also finish on the winning side.

Prediction

After last weekend’s encounter, which the All Blacks won by a 17-point margin, we expect Argentina to deliver an improved performance, but it will not be enough to get the better of the All Blacks whose class will give them a decisive edge. Although the home side will be more competitive, New Zealand will continue building momentum in the Rugby Championship by clinching a thrilling victory. All Blacks to win by five points.

Previous results

2025: New Zealand won 41-24 in Cordoba
2024: New Zealand won 42-10 in Auckland
2024: Argentina won 38-30 in Wellington
2023: New Zealand won 44-6 in Paris
2023: New Zealand won 41-12 in Mendoza
2022: New Zealand won 53-3 in Hamilton
2022: Argentina won 25-18 in Christchurch
2021: New Zealand won 39-0 in Gold Coast

The teams

Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo

New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Simon Parker, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Damian McKenzie

Date: Saturday, August 23
Venue: Estado Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 18:10 local (09:10 NZST, 22:10 BST, 21:10 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
Assistants: Pierre Brousset (FFR), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA)

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