Argentina and Uruguay clash on Saturday in the final match before both turn attention to important upcoming competition. Argentina will go from hosting Uruguay to two home game against New Zealand in the Rugby Championship. For Los Teros the match is the last fixture before they open their Rugby World Cup qualifying campaign. The match will be played in Salta in Argentina’s northwest.
FORM GUIDE  |
Current World Ranking: 6 (82.05 points)
2025-07-12 – Argentina 17-22 England (San Juan, AR)
2025-07-05 – Argentina 12-35 England (La Plata, AR)
2025-06-20 – British & Irish Lions 24-28 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
Current World Ranking: 17 (67.52 points)
2025-07-12 – Uruguay 70-8 Romania (Montevideo, UY)
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Mayco Vivas | Thomas Gallo |
| 6 | Pablo Matera | Santiago Grondona |
| 7 | Benjamín Grondona | Juan Martín Gonzalez |
| 8 | Joaquín Moro | Pablo Matera |
| 10 | Nicolás Roger | Santiago Carreras |
| 11 | Santiago Pernas | Ignacio Mendy |
| 13 | Matías Moroni | Lucio Cinti |
| 14 | Rodrigo Isgró | Matías Moroni |
|
IN | OUT |
| 2 | Germán Kessler | Facundo Gattas |
| 3 | Diego Arbelo | Ignacio Péculo |
| 6 | Manuel Ardao | Santiago Civetta |
| ARGENTINA + URUGUAY DEBUTANTS |
– Nicolás D’Amorim (FL), Faustino Sánchez Valarolo (CE), Santiago Pernas (WI)
– N/A
| + MOST CAPS |
– P Matera (111), J Montoya (107), M Moroni (91), N Tetaz Chaparro (78), S Cordero (55)
– M Sanguinetti (91), A Vilaseca (82), G Kessler (68), I Dotti (67), M Diana (49), F Gattas (43)
| + LEAST CAPS |
– B Grondona (1), A Moyano (1), S Benítez Cruz (2), B Bernasconi (2), F Coria Marchetti (2), B Elizalde (2), J Moro (2), N Roger (2), J Piccardo (3)
– F Suárez (1), JM Tafernaberry (2), J González (4), Í Amarillo (4), I Álvarez (8), B Basso (12), C Deus (12), S Álvarez (13), F Aliaga (15)
| + NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– I Calles (LH), T Gallo (LH), I Ruiz (HK), E Bello (TH), J Sclavi (TH), F Molina (LO), JM González (FL), S Grondona (FL), M Kremer (FL), J Oviedo (N8), F Isa (N8), G Bertranou (SH), G García (SH), T Albornoz (FH), S Chocobares (CE), E Boffelli (WI), M Carreras (WI), B Delguy (WI), S Carreras (FB), JC Mallía (FB)
– J Myszka (HK), G Pujadas (HK), JM Rodriguez (LO), S Arata (SH), T Inciarte (SH), JM Alfonso (CE), B Amaya (FB)
- Argentina is unbeaten against Uruguay in 42 prior test matches.
- International competition between Argentina and Uruguay began in 1951 with the creation of the Sudamericano (South American Championship).
- Argentina’s biggest win over Uruguay was in the 2024 match in Punta del Este.
- Uruguay has no shortage of leaders. Current Manuel Leindekar starts as does former captain Andrés Vilaseca and Peñarol captain Manuel Diana. Santiago Cievetta, who has experience captaining Peñarol, is a replacement.
- Loose head Mateo Sanguinetti will go eight caps short of becoming the second Uruguayan test centurion. He and Puma Matías Moroni will both earn their 92nd test caps.
- Manuel Diana will earn his 49th cap for Uruguay.
- Pumas Pedro Rubiolo and Joaquín Moro also started against Uruguay in 2024.
- Ten Uruguayans have retained starters from a year ago. They are: Mateo Sanguinetti, Germán Kessler, Felipe Aliaga, Manuel Leindekar, Manuel Ardao, Manuel Diana, Santiago Álvarez, Felipe Etcheverry, Andrés Vilaseca, and Ignacio Álvarez.
- Joaquín Moro and Francisco Coria Marchetti made their Pumas debuts in the 2024 fixture.
- Six Pumas are rookies: Elizalde, Benítez Cruz, Roger, Bernasconi, Grondona and Agustín Moyano.
- Three others will debut in the match itself: Pernas, D’Amorim and Sánchez Valarolo.
- Roger is the only specialist fly half in the match-day 23. Santiago Cordero is the cover if required.
- Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro makes his comeback. His most recent cap was in Johannesburg in 2023. He is the most capped Pumas prop in history.
- A new-look Pumas mid-field sees Justo Piccardo and Matías Moroni starting together for the first time.
- The fixture in Salta is Argentina’s final match before the 2025 Rugby Championship.
- Los Pumas first played at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in 2005. Argentina won 35-21 vs Italy.
- Argentina’s most recent win at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena was against South Africa in 2016.
- Uruguay face Paraguay in Asunción on July 26. It is the first of two Rugby World Cup 2027 Qualifiers. Game two will be in Montevideo on August 23.
- World Rugby did not appoint a Spanish-Speaking referee. Instead, Italian Gianluca Gnecchi will referee the match in English.
Uruguay are on a high and Argentina are on a low. Los Teros were comprehensive winners over Romania last weekend while Los Pumas fell to a 2-0 home series defeat against England. Both England and Argentina had a host of players missing; yet, England’s depth proved to be excellent. The weather will not get in the way of positive rugby in Argentina’s northwest. Argentina enter the match as favorites to win in Salta.
ARGENTINA
1 Mayco Vivas, 2 Julián Montoya (capt.), 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Benjamín Grondona, 8 Joaquín Moro, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 10 Nicolás Roger, 11 Santiago Pernas, 12 Justo Piccardo, 13 Matías Moroni, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 15 Benjamín Elizalde
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Nicolás D’Amorim, 21 Agustín Moyano, 22 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 23 Santiago Cordero
URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Germán Kessler, 3 Diego Arbelo, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 5 Manuel Leindekar (capt.) 6 Manuel Ardao, 7 Lucas Bianchi, 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Santiago Álvarez, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 11 Ignacio Álvarez, 12 Andrés Vilaseca, 13 Felipe Arcos Pérez, 14 Bautista Basso, 15 Juan Gonzalez
Replacements: 16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Francisco Suárez, 18 Ignacio Péculo, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Carlos Deus, 21 Santiago Civetta, 22 Juan Manuel Tafernaberry, 23 Ícaro Amarillo
Date: Saturday, July 19
Venue: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, (Salta, AR)
Kickoff: 4:40pm (AR); 4:40pm (UY)
Weather Forecast: Sunny; 20 (Celsius); Wind 4 km/h
Broadcasts: ESPN; Disney +
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistants: Craig Evans (Wales), Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
TMO: Mika Adamson (Scotland)
HEAD-TO-HEAD (39): Argentina 39, Uruguay 0, STREAK Argentina +40
2024-07-20 – Uruguay 5-79 Argentina (Punta del Este, UY)
2015-05-16 – Uruguay 14-36 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
2014-05-17 – Uruguay 9-54 Argentina (Paysandú, UY)
2013-04-27 – Uruguay 18-29 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
2012-10-16 – Argentina 21-10 Uruguay (Victoria, BC, CA
2012-05-20 – Argentina 40-5 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
2011-05-25 – Argentina 75-14 Uruguay (Posadas, AR)
2010-05-21 – Argentina 38-0 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
2008-05-31 – Uruguay 8-43 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
2006-07-08 – Argentina 26-0 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
2005-05-15 – Argentina 27-21 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
2004-04-28 – Argentina 69-10 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
2003-08-27 – Argentina 57-0 Uruguay (Buenos Aires AR)
2003-05-03 – Uruguay 0-32 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
2002-04-28 – Argentina 35-21 Uruguay (Mendoza, AR)
2001-11-24 – Argentina 63-7 Uruguay (La Plata, AR)
2001-05-19 – Argentina 32-27 Uruguay (Kingston, CA)
1998-10-17 – Argentina 34-14 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1998-08-18 – Argentina 55-0 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1998-04-06 – Argentina 72-5 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1997-09-27 – Uruguay 17-56 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1996-09-18 – Argentina 54-20 Uruguay (Hamilton, CA)
1996-06-08 – Uruguay 18-37 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1995-10-08 – Argentina 52-37 Uruguay (Posadas, AR)
1995-03-04 – Argentina 44-3 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1993-10-23 – Uruguay 10-19 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1991-09-21 – Argentina 23-9 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1989-10-14 – Uruguay 14-34 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1987-09-27 – Argentina 41-21 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
1987-05-03 – Uruguay 3-38 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1985-09-17 – Argentina 63-16 Uruguay (Asunción, PY)
1983-07-23 – Argentina 29-6 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1979-10-04 – Argentina 19-16 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
1977-10-28 – Argentina 70-0 Uruguay (Tucumán, AR)
1975-09-21 – Argentina 30-15 Uruguay (Asunción, PY)
1973-10-16 – Argentina 55-0 Uruguay (São Paulo, BR)
1971-10-17 – Uruguay 6-55 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1969-10-04 – Argentina 41-06 Uruguay (Santiago, CL)
1967-09-27 – Argentina 38-6 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
1964-08-15 – Argentina 25-06 Uruguay (São Paulo, BR)
1961-10-14 – Uruguay 3-36 Argentina (Montevideo, UY)
1958-10-15 – Argentina 50-3 Uruguay (Viña del Mar, CL)
1951-09-09 – Argentina 62-0 Uruguay (Buenos Aires, AR)
