Australian Rugby
Pat McCutcheon leads NSW against Pumas
ESPN Staff
August 8, 2013
New South Wales Barbarians' Peter Betham (left) celebrates his try against Argentina with Cam Crawford and Drew Mitchell, Argentina v New South Wales Barbarians, La Plata, Argentina, August 3, 2013
The New South Wales team stretched Argentina in their first game © Getty Images
Enlarge

Pat McCutcheon will captain New South Wales Barbarians against Argentina at Estadio Padre Martearena in Salta.

With Dave Dennis among six players to have returned to Sydney for the Wallabies training camp, McCutcheon will wear the captain's armband for the first time when he leads out a new-look side against the Pumas.

McCutcheon was first named captain for the Waratahs' penultimate Super Rugby match of the season against Western Force in Perth in June, but he was forced to withdraw through injury.

"It's a huge honour to be named captain for this international clash," said McCutcheon, a former Australia Sevens captain. "It was disappointing that I couldn't make the field last time I was named captain, although it was a fitting end for Tom Carter.

"This match is a massive opportunity for the new boys to show their class and impress 'Cheik'. After last week's game, the Pumas will be a better team this time. That was their first time together this year and they will only improve leading into The Rugby Championship."


Watch Argentina play New South Wales Barbarians in Salta on the exclusive streaming video from ESPN Deportes, Live from 9.10am (AEST) on Saturday, August 10.


Making their state debuts in the pack in Salta will be 19-year-old Australia Under-20 and Gordon flanker Jack Dempsey and Tala Gray, who starts at No.8 having been recruited for 2014.

Will Skelton and Mitchell Chapman are retained in the second-row, packing down behind a reshuffled front-row of Jeremy Tilse, Luke Holmes and Sam Talakai, who made his Waratahs debut against the Force in June.

The backline includes four newcomers, with Ben Volavola taking over from Bernard Foley at fly-half to partner scrum-half Matt Lucas. West Harbour winger Alofa Alofa, the third-leading try-scorer in the Sydney Shute Shield club premiership this year, makes his first state appearance on the left wing, with Randwick centre Terrence Hepetema earning his first start at No.12 after making his Super Rugby debut from the bench in June. Rob Horne reverts to outside centre, with Cam Crawford and Drew Mitchell retaining their places in the back three.

Penrith hooker Kerren Straker and Newcastle Waratahs scrum-half Auvasa Falealii feature on an extended bench, both of whom will wear the sky blue for the first time if they take the field. Also named is former Australia A, NSW, Bath Rugby and Montpellier back Matt Carraro, who joined the squad for the final week of tour.

The Pumas' starting team, meanwhile, contains six changes to the side that won the first match, 29-27. Led once again by Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, the side boasts a combined 437 caps in the starting XV - 81 of them earned by veteran centre Felipe Contepomi, who takes over at 12. Agustin Creevy, who scored two tries off the bench in the first game, starts at hooker in place of Bath Rugby's Eusebio Guinazu, while Juan Manuel Leguizamon is preferred at openside.

Los Pumas: Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino (21 caps); Gonzalo Camacho (20 caps), Joaquin Tuculet (5 caps), Felipe Contepomi (81 caps), Juan Imhoff (14 caps); Juan Martin Hernandez (39 caps), Martin Landajo (18 caps); Leonardo Senatore (17 caps), Juan Manuel Leguizamon (46 caps), Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (captain, 52 caps); Mariano Galarza (12 caps), Manuel Carizza (33 caps); Juan Figallo (17 caps), Agustin Creevy (22 caps), Marcos Ayerza (40 caps). Replacements: Eusebio Guinazu (27 caps), Nahuel Lobo (2 caps)m Matias Diaz (3 caps), Julio Farías Cabello (21 caps), Pablo Matera (2 caps), Tomas Cubelli (13 caps), Nicolas Sanchez (8 caps), Santiago Fernandez (25 caps), Marcelo Bosch (18 caps), Horacio Agulla (42 caps).

NSW Barbarians: Drew Mitchell (Randwick); Cam Crawford (Northern Suburbs), Rob Horne (Southern Districts), Terrence Hepetema (Randwick), Alofa Alofa (West Harbour); Ben Volavola (Southern Districts), Matt Lucas (Manly); Tala Gray (Eastern Suburbs), Pat McCutcheon (Sydney University, captain), Jack Dempsey (Gordon); Mitchell Chapman (Eastern Suburbs), Will Skelton (Sydney University); Sam Talakai (Sydney University), Luke Holmes (Warringah), Jeremy Tilse (Sydney University). Replacements: Kerren Straker (Penrith), Tolu Latu (Sydney University), Keliti Vangalo (Eastern Suburbs), Jed Holloway (Southern Districts), Brendan McKibbin (Eastern Suburbs), Auvasa Falealii (Newcastle Waratahs), David Horwitz (Randwick), Michael McDougall (Eastwood), Usaia O'Sullivan (West Harbour), Alex Gibbon (Southern Districts), Matt Carraro, David Lolohea (West Harbour).


Watch Argentina play New South Wales Barbarians in Salta on the exclusive streaming video from ESPN Deportes, Live from 9.10am (AEST) on Saturday, August 10.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.