Argentina: Ones to watch

Pablo Matera 
The 23-year-old back-rower has been Argentina’s outstanding player of the Rugby Championship, proving time and again that – despite his tender years – he is as tough and capable as his 31 Test caps suggest. Against Australia last weekend, Matera made four tackles and did not give up any penalties, but it was in attack that the blindside made the biggest impact.

He ran 46 metres with ball in hand, more than any forward, beating five defenders and offloading twice. Only the Pumas skipper Augustin Creevy and scrum-half Martin Landajo ran with the ball more than Matera’s 12 carries, showing his, and the back-row’s, importance in the Pumas’ game-plan. If he takes his Rugby Championship form into the autumn, Matera will definitely be the Puma to watch. 

Martin Landajo
Any side built around a rumbling set of forwards needs a superb scrum-half to marshal the pack and call the shots, and in Landajo, the Pumas have just that. With 62 Test caps, he is a veteran of Daniel Hourcade’s side, a thoughtful player with quick hands and capable of sniping runs around the fringes. Against the Wallabies, Landajo elected to pass 56 times, more than any player on the pitch, but still managed to carry 16 times for 44 metres.

Landajo’s runs were effective too, beating five defenders and making two clean breaks, as well as managing five offloads, more than any other Puma. The scrum-half did concede three turnovers and miss two tackles, suggesting that if Wales successfully target him in attack and at the break-down, they might prosper. But the experienced Landajo will need to be watched carefully this autumn as he is a genuine game-changer behind a superb Pumas pack. 

Ramiro Moyano
Hourcade’s decision to pick only players signed to Buenos Aires-based Super Rugby franchise the Jaguares means that explosive Racing 92 winger Juan Imhoff, who dazzled at the World Cup last year, is no longer eligible. Fortunately for the Pumas, the versatile Moyano – who has won seven caps at full-back and another four on the left wing – has stepped ably into the gap.

With Joaquin Tuculet and Matias Moroni also regularly starting in the back three this Rugby Championship, Argentina have been very capable under the high ball and superb at counter-attacking from long kicks. Against Australia, Moyano ran 65m with the ball, with only Tuculet managing more, and beat four defenders, making two offloads. He has yet to score from the wing, despite notching up seven tries from full-back, but Moyano will pose a considerable threat in the Under Armour series, whichever shirt he pulls on.