Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi has welcomed the return of his top dogs for Los Pumas’ Rugby Championship opener against the All Blacks in Cordoba.

Contepomi opted to rest a host of Top 14 players and frontline stars in the two-Test match series against England.

Argentina welcome back stars

However, Argentina are fully-loaded, minus a handful of injuries, for the Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand.

Toulouse full-back Juan Cruz Mallía and Clermont speedster Bautista Delguy return in the back three, which is completed by Harlequins flyer Rodrigo Isgró, who was a standout against the Lions.

Lucio Cinti lines up in the outside centre position, while another Toulouse star returns in the midfield in the form of Santiago Chocobares.

Gonzalo García and Tomás Albornoz wreaked havoc against the Lions, producing outrageous performances in the half-backs, but missed the Tests against England.

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Joaquín Oviedo, Marcos Kremer, and Pablo Matera combine in an imposing loose trio as Argentina’s pack is further strengthened by rising star locks Pedro Rubiolo and Franco Molina.

Julian Montoya will captain the team from the middle of the front row with Pedro Delgado at tighthead and Mayco Vivas at loosehead prop.

While Argentina have repeatedly backed a 6-2 bench, Contepomi has resisted the urge to do so again, instead selecting the more conventional 5-3.

Ignacio Ruiz, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Joel Sclavi, Guido Petti, and Juan Martín González will provide impact up front, while Simón Benítez Cruz, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo are the backline replacements.

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Los Pumas team to face the All Blacks

Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 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 Juan Martín González, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo

Date: Saturday, August 16
Venue: Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba
Kick-off: 18:10 local (09:10 NZST Sunday, 22:10 BST, 21:10 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (RA), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA)

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