Argentina prop Sordoni returns to face New Zealand

Prop Lucio Sordoni will make his first appearance for Argentina in almost three years in an otherwise settled team named by coach Michael Cheika for their Rugby Championship opener against New Zealand in Mendoza on Saturday.

Sordoni, 24, has three caps and last played a test against New Zealand in 2020. He spent 14 months out of the game through injury, but gets a chance to stake a claim for a place in Cheika’s Rugby World Cup squad.

Otherwise, the team has a familiar look to it and fullback Emiliano Boffelli continues his run of playing every test since Cheika took over and will be key with the boot.

Santiago Carreras has been preferred to Nicolas Sanchez at flyhalf and the team will be captained by hooker Julian Montoya.

He is joined in the front row by props Sordoni and Thomas Gallo, while Tomas Lavanini and Matias Alemanno make up the lock pairing.

Cheika is missing suspended Marcos Kremer among the loose-forwards with the latter to sit out the entire Rugby Championship.

Flankers Pablo Matera and Juan Martin Gonzalez are joined in the back row by number eight Rodrigo Bruni.

Scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou wears the number nine jersey, while the midfield is made up of Matias Moroni and Lucio Cinti, and Bautista Delguy and Mateo Carreras are on the wing.

Argentina have beaten the All Blacks twice in the last three years, though both those matches were away in neutral Australia and last season in New Zealand. They have yet to record a win over them on home soil.

Argentina team:

15-Emiliano Boffelli, 14-Bautista Delguy, 13-Matias Moroni, 12-Lucio Cinti, 11-Mateo Carreras, 10-Santiago Carreras, 9-Gonzalo Bertranou, 8-Rodrigo Bruni, 7-Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6-Pablo Matera, 5-Tomas Lavanini, 4-Matias Alemanno, 3-Lucio Sordoni,