Argentina have made 13 changes and included four uncapped players in their 23 for Saturday's South Africa Test at Vélez, a major reset for what is the team's biggest home fixture of 2026. Pablo Matera will captain Los Pumas, as Argentina look to respond after a year that has already brought a step back from their 2025 form.
Argentina make sweeping changes
The scale of the reshuffle underlines how much Felipe Contepomi is asking of this group for the fifth Test between Argentina and South Africa at Vélez, where the visitors have won the previous four. It is also the only meeting between the sides in 2026, which adds extra weight to a match that comes with the Copa Visa Galicia for the winning captain on the 40th anniversary of Argentina first playing at Vélez.
Among the notable selection points, Tomás Albornoz's misconduct charge hangs over Argentina Vs South Africa Rugby Test after he confronted Angus Gardner following the England Test and later received a four-match ban. That issue has become part of the wider backdrop to a home fixture that Argentina cannot treat lightly.
South Africa bring back experience
South Africa arrive as a different attacking team from the one that won the World Cup, with Tony Brown now pushing them to play at tempo. They have also had their own injury issues to manage, with Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morné van den Berg all injured at the Nations Championship.
Even so, the Springboks still carry enough quality to make this a difficult afternoon for Argentina. That has been a consistent theme in this matchup, and the hosts will need to show more than they have at times since the Scotland loss in Córdoba, when they beat Wales 35-21 before losing 31-24 to England in Santiago del Estero.
What the Test means
This is a significant marker game for both teams. For Argentina, it is a chance to show that the decline from 2025 is not permanent and that their home form can still hold up in a marquee fixture. For South Africa, it is another opportunity to show that their new attacking shape can travel, even with personnel changes and injury absences.
Ben Youngs summed up the disciplinary mood around Albornoz's case simply: he hoped World Rugby would hand out bans. But on Saturday, the focus returns to the field, where Argentina will try to defend their home turf and South Africa will try to extend their run of success at Vélez.
