Italy will be looking to do something they’ve not managed since June last year in Florence on Saturday, claim back-to-back Test victories.
That win last week over Fiji was so desperately needed and head coach Conor O’Shea has admitted that due to it he’s decided to stick with the same side going into this fixture against Argentina. Claiming the scalp of the Pumas would be a significant boost for this Azzurri outfit.
They have not beaten Argentina since 2008 though, having gone down to defeats in their six recent meetings. All bar one were close-fought affairs and this promises to be no different when the two teams run out at Stadio Artemio Franchi for their penultimate match of November.
After this game Italy will host what could be a reeling South Africa while Argentina finish up their year with a tough clash with Ireland.
On Saturday though the Pumas need to put an end to this nightmare run they are on – they have lost 12 of their last 13 games – and with it being coach Daniel Hourcade’s 50th international in charge, they will be even more driven to get a win on the board before going to Dublin.
“Many things have changed. Over time, we have managed to impose our idea of a much more offensive style, to risk much more,” Hourcade said in an interview with the Pumas official website, looking back over his time in charge. “Some things have improved and others still demand that we have to continue working. We’re in the middle of a project aimed at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. That was always the main objective.”
“We aim to maintain the work done against England and make some changes to our style of play, particularly making the attack more dynamic.”
They will have gained some confidence from frustrating England at Twickenham but as he says, they must show more in attack and it’s interesting to see the return of Nicolas Sanchez to the side at fly-half. Their pack looks strong and on paper they should end their drought this week.
Italy though will have their tails up after that victory over Fiji which makes for a fascinating match to kick off Saturday’s international fixtures.
Players to watch:
For Italy: It’s always a special game for Sergio Parisse when he lines up against the country of his birth. Like in any match though he’ll lead from the front for Italy and his team will follow. Keep an eye on dangerous full-back Jayden Hayward too, who the hosts must utilise.
For Argentina: The return of Nicolas Sanchez in place of Juan Martin Hernandez stood out when the Pumas’ side was released. His inclusion comes after an indifferent showing from Hernandez at Twickenham, with Sanchez hoping to be much more reliable off the tee than “El Mago”.
Head-to-head: We look at the back-rows here as Francesco Minto, Abraham Steyn and Sergio Parisse go up against Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer and Juan Manuel Leguizamon. The breakdown battle will be crucial in what promises to be a tight game on the scoreboard from start to finish and with Matera in excellent form last week at Twickenham, the visiting trio might just have the edge here. Sparks should fly in Florence.
Previous results:
2016: Argentina won 30-24 in Santa Fe
2014: Argentina won 20-18 in Genova
2013: Argentina won 19-14 in Rome
2012: Argentina won 37-22 in San Juan
2010: Argentina won 22-16 in Verona
2008: Argentina won 22-14 in Torino
2008: Italy won 13-12 in Cordoba
2007: Argentina won 24-6 in Mendoza
Prediction: So much rests on this result for both sides but we just shade it for los Pumas on their coach’s 50th. Argentina by two points.
The teams:
Italy: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Tomasso Castello, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Abraham Steyn, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Dean Budd, 4 Marco Fuser, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Federico Zani, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Giovanni Licara, 21 Tito Tebaldi, 22 Ian McKinley, 23 Matteo Minozzi
Argentina: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Lucas Noguera, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Banjamin Macome, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Juan Martin Hernandez, 23 Matias Moroni
Date: Saturday, November 18
Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
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