Argentina v Scotland First Test: Summer Tour 2022, Match Preview pt II – head to heads

Ten of the Pumas’ starting XV also featured the last time Scotland played in Argentina. For the visitors, Magnus Bradbury, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Blair Kinghorn and George Turner were all involved in that 44-15 demolition – comfortably Scotland’s biggest winning margin of the last 30 years against their hosts.

Tale of the tape

BACKS
65   Tries   47
88kg   Average weight   93kg
382   Total caps   178
30.1   Average age   27.4

FORWARDS
897kg   Pack weight   924kg
33   Tries   19
434   Total caps   241
29.1   Average age   27.6

SUBSTITUTES
22   Tries   3
257   Total caps   55
28.3   Average age   25.3

5 changes to Scotland starting XV from last Test (v Ireland)

• 15 – Hutchinson for Hogg [–]
• 13 – Bennett for Harris [–]
• 11 – van der Merwe for Steyn [+]
• 6 – Bradbury for Darge [=]
• 7 – Crosbie for Watson [–]

Head-to-Head

Overall

Backs – even

To take a fairly reductive view on things it’s a bigger and faster Scottish backline against a far wilier and more experienced Argentinian unit. An oversimplification maybe but with a 200-cap deficit to overcome and three regular starters (and Lions) left at home it’s down to the physical gifts of a talented group of backs to bridge the gap.

Forwards – advantage Argentina

This is the heaviest pack selected by Gregor Townsend for any of his 55 matches in charge – in no small measure due to selecting an oversized back row trio and eschewing a traditional jackalling option. That would seem to stem – at least in part – from a desire to win the battle up front against an aggressive Pumas eight and in particular to counter the sizeable impact of Marcos Kremer and Pablo Matera in the back row.

Subs – advantage Argentina

The eight players on the Scottish bench have a combined 55 caps among them. The only time there have been fewer previous appearances for a set of subs in the Townsend era was in the first game of the 2018 Summer Tour against Canada (48 caps).

Miscellany 

– Grant Gilchrist is the only player aged 30+ in the Scotland matchday squad (Argentina – 9 over 30s).

– 12 of the Scottish starting XV were also capped at under 20s level by the dark blues – the most for a match in the Townsend era.

– Ali Price will play in his 24th consecutive match for Scotland (23 starts and 1 sub appearance). He hasn’t missed a game for the national side since flying home injured from the 2019 RWC.

– This will be Mark Bennett’s first Test start since November 2016. In the interim, Scotland have played 60 times, while Bennett has made just five sub appearances. If it weren’t for injuries the gifted centre would surely have passed a half century of caps a long, long time ago.

– If hooker Julian Montoya is replaced by Agustin Creevy before either of Argentina’s props is subbed off then at that point the home side’s front row will have a combined age of 106 (in fact only one day short of 107 as Francisco Gomez Kodela turns 37 on Sunday).