Argentina will be looking to earn their first points of the 2023 Rugby World Cup when they take on Samoa at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne on Friday evening.
Both these sides have played only one game in the competition so far, with the Pumas currently in fourth place in Pool D while Manu Samoa are in second after securing a big win over Chile last weekend.
Match preview
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Argentina will be returning to action after 13 days following their 27-10 loss to England over the opening weekend of the competition.
While the Pumas did go into that encounter as the marginal favourites, they were ultimately outdone by a George Ford tactical masterclass, with the England fly-half scoring all 27 points off the boot.
The Pumas came into the competition with high hopes, having cracked a favourable draw, though they will know that winning this match will be vital in their quest to reach the knockout stages.
Despite their undesirable first result and current form being questionable, there has been enough improvement made over the last year to indicate that Michael Cheika's men are by no means out of the running just yet.
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In contrast, Samoa were given the first week off and played their opening fixture last Saturday, when they lived up to expectation by beating Chile 43-10 in Bordeaux.
While they did get the win and the bonus point in that match, Samoa took a very long time to get going, and it was only in the second half that they managed to pull clear, which they cannot afford to rely on this time.
Still, there was enough in that second-half performance to give them confidence going into this encounter against the Pumas, and Matt Parish will be well aware that his side will need to beat either England or Argentina to have a chance of qualifying.
Samoa are playing in their eighth consecutive World Cup, though they have been waiting 16 years to reach the quarter-finals and based on the last two weeks' results, this feels like it could be a deciding match in where they will finish in the pool standings.
Argentina Rugby World Cup form:
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Argentina form (all competitions):
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Samoa Rugby World Cup form:
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Samoa form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Cheika has made three changes to the side he fielded against England, with Eduardo Bello and Guido Petti coming into the first and second rows respectively, while Matias Moroni steps into midfield.
Juan Cruz Mallia, Emiliano Boffelli and Mateo Carreras will make up the backline, with Santiago Carreras and Gonzalo Bertranou in the halves pairing.
Like their opponents, Samoa also make three changes to their side, with Ben Lam set to start on the wing, while Paul Alo-Emile and Brian Alainu'u'ese come into the pack.
Taleni Seu, captain Michael Alaalatoa and Danny Toala are the players to make way, and Nigel Ah-Wong will shift to the right wing to accommodate for Lam on the left flank.
Argentina starting lineup: 15. Juan Cruz Mallia, 14. Emiliano Boffelli, 13. Matias Moroni, 12. Santiago Chocobares, 11. Mateo Carreras, 10. Santiago Carreras, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 8. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7. Marcos Kremer, 6. Pablo Matera, 5. Matias Alemanno, 4. Guido Petti, 3. Eduardo Bello, 2. Julian Montoya (c), 1. Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16. Augustin Creevy, 17. Mayco Vivas, 18. Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19. Pedro Rubiolo, 20. Rodrigo Bruni, 21. Tomas Cubelli, 22. Nicolas Sanchez, 23. Lucio Cinti
Samoa starting lineup: 15. Duncan Paia'aua, 14. Nigel Ah-Wong, 13. UJ Seuteni, 12. Tumua Manu, 11. Ben Lam, 10. Christian Leali'ifano, 9. Jonathan Taumateine, 8. Steven Luatua, 7. Fritz Lee, 6. Theo McFarland, 5. Chris Vui (c), 4. Brian Alainu'u'ese, 3. Paul Alo-Emile, 2. Seilala Lam, 1. James Lay
Replacements: 16. Sama Malolo, 17. Charlie Faumuina, 18. Michael Alaalatoa, 19. Taleni Seu, 20. Sa Jordan Taufua, 21. Melani Matavao, 22. D'Angelo Leuila, 23. Danny Toala
Head To Head
These sides have met on three occasions in World Cup competition. Samoa won the first two encounters 35-12 and 32-16, in 1991 and 1995, respectively. The most recent match was in 1999, and the Pumas won 32-16.
We say: Argentina 32-29 Samoa
This could easily end up being the match of the week between two sides that are very evenly matched on paper and based on their opening match performances. The Pumas will certainly be the fresher of the two, having had almost two weeks to prepare, and that could be a factor late in the match.
Samoa will not give this up without a fight, but we are backing the South Americans to just about edge it by the full-time whistle.
No Data Analysis info
Devesh Jaganath
