The absence of Juan Martín Hernández who never fully recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament operation is the glaring ommission from the squad.
After a hard month of mostly fitness work and almost two weeks of ball work – which included a 78-15 win against a makeshift South American XV last Saturday – Los Pumas will now change their focus and will travel to Wales in search of match fitness.
When the World Cup squad was announced, Phelan chose not to speak about the game to be played at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday August 20th, but rather focus on getting the team ready for the New Zealand venture.
“All our guns are pointing to the game against England on September 10th,” said the former Puma flanker. “We have looked at the game Wales played last weekend and we’ll look at this weekend’s game with interest, but we now have to look at how we want to play.”
Of his travelling squad of 32, only six were selected from Argentina clubs, although one of them will move to France after the World Cup. Of the rest, veteran Mario Ledesma – one of three survivors from RWC 1999 in Wales – retires to become forward’s coach at Stade Français, three are unattached, five play in England and the remaining 19 play in France. Four are uncapped and it is doubtful that those players might see test action in Cardiff.
The last time Argentina played at the Millennium Stadium, Wales won clearly, 33-16, on November 21, 2009. Nine starters and four second half replacements return, including fullback Martín Rodríguez – that day he was a centre – who scored the 16 Puma points.
The captain will be Felipe Contepomi who first played against Wales in 1998 in Llanelli, when the Millennium Stadium was being constructed. He was player of the match when Los Pumas beat Wales in 2001 and was caretaker captain when they drew 25-25 against the British & Irish Lions in 2005.
Argentina finished third in the last Rugby World Cup and in New Zealand this year will play in Pool B against England, Romania, Scotland and Georgia for a place in the quarter-finals.
The Pumas RWC squad is:
Front-row: Marcos Ayerza (Leicester Tigers), Juan Figallo (Montpellier), Martín Scelzo (Agen), Rodrigo Roncero (Stade Français), Mario Ledesma (to retire), Agustín Creevy (Montpellier) and Maximiliano Bustos (Montpellier)
Locks: Patricio Albacete (Stade Toulousian), Manuel Carizza (Biarritz Olympique), Tomás Vallejos (Harlequins) and Mariano Galarza (unattached)
Loose forwards: Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon), Juan Manuel Leguizamón (Lyon), Leonardo Senatore (GER, Argentina), Julio Farías Cabello (Tucumán RC), Manuel Galindo (Racing-Metro) and Alejandro Campos (unattached)
Scrumhalves: Alfredo Lalanne (unattached) and Nicolás Vergallo (Stade Toulousian)
Flyhalves: Felipe Contepomi (Stade Français) and Nicolás Sánchez (Tucumán Lawn Tennis)
Centres: Marcelo Bosch (Biarritz), Santiago Fernández (Montpellier), Gonzalo Tiesi (Stade Français), Juan Imhoff (Duendes) and Agustín Gosio (Newman)
Wings: Horacio Agulla (Leicester Tigers), Gonzalo Camacho (Exeter), Rafael Carballo (Bordeaux-Begles) and Lucas González Amorosino (Montpellier)
Fullback: Martín Rodríguez (Stade Français)
