London - Argentina have announced a young team with seven Rugby World Cup debutants for their Pool C opener against holders New Zealand at Wembley on Sunday.
The seven, four forwards and three backs who helped Argentina avoid the Rugby Championship wooden spoon for the first time in August, are in a team with five changes from the side beaten 26-12 by South Africa in their last test in Buenos Aires a month ago.
In the side named by coach Daniel Hourcade on Friday Guido Petti, one of the debutants, comes into the second row for Benjamin Macome.
Flank Pablo Matera, also at his first tournament, and number eight Leonardo Senatore return to the back row.
Significantly, only one of Sunday's pack, former captain Juan Fernandez Lobbe, did not play in Argentina's upset 37-25 win over the Springboks a week earlier in their closing Rugby Championship clash in Durban.
Fernandez Lobbe keeps his place at openside flank while Juan Manuel Leguizamon, a fellow veteran of the Pumas' third place at the 2007 World Cup, drops to the bench to make way for Senatore.
In the backs, Tomas Cubelli is preferred to fellow debutant Martin Landajo at scrumhalf to partner Nicolas Sanchez while the experienced Saracens centre Marcelo Bosch returns in place of Matias Moroni.
Five players on the bench are also in line for their first tournament appearance as Argentina look to beat the All Blacks for the first time.
Teams:
New Zealand:
15
Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11
Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie
McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3
Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles,1 Tony Woodcock.
Substitutes: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Sam Cane, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Sonny Bill Williams
Argentina:
15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Juan Martin Hernandez, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy (captain), 1 Marcos Ayerza
Substitutes: 16 Julian Montoya, 17
Lucas Noguera, 18 Ramiro Herrera, 19 Mariano Galarza, 20 Juan Manuel
Leguizamon, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 23 Lucas
Gonzalez Amorosino