Phelan handed Pumas captaincy

Flanker Santiago Phelan will become Argentina’s third different World Cup captain on Wednesday.

Phelan will retire from international combat at the end of the tournament, so Pumas coach Marcelo Loffreda has offered the 29-year-old the chance to end his career by leading his country to victory over Romania at Aussie Stadium.

The Argentina side shows six changes from the one which defeated Namibia last week, although centre Martin Gaitan, who scored a hat-trick against the Africans, retains his place.

Team: J Hernandez; J Nunez Piossek, M Gaitan, M Contepomi, H Senillosa; J Fernandez Miranda, N Fernandez Miranda; R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, P Sporleder, P Albacete, S Phelan (capt), M Durand, P Bouza.

Replacements: F Mendez, O Hasan, R Alvarez, R Martin, A Pichot, G Quesada, J Orengo.