Pumas take chance on Pichot

Argentina named superstar scrum-half and captain Agustin Pichot to play in the crucial pool match against Ireland in Adelaide on Sunday, even though the Stade Francais star was unable to train at all on Friday.

Pichot, who is his country’s most experienced player, will play in a first-choice halves combination with fly-half Gonzalo Quesada.

Coach Marcelo Lofreda said the scrum-half’s absence from the team’s evening training session was merely precautionary.

“We have no doubts about him, but he has had a slight fever and a headache,” said Lofreda.

Lofreda was able to choose from a full squad of players, although he had been waiting on some minor injury concerns throughout the side.

“We had worries in the front row, the second row and the back row as well as in the centres and wings, but none of them were major,” said Lofreda.

The main concerns were over Felipe Contepomi and Gonzalo Longo, but both were cleared to start at centre and number eight respectively.

Lofreda has named Diego Albanese to play on the left wing, which means the two players who broke Irish hearts four years ago in Lens will again be on the field when the two sides clash in Adelaide.

Albanese scored a try eight minutes from time and Quesada kicked a late penalty as the Pumas knocked Ireland out of the tournament.

Lofreda has been cautious throughout the tournament’s early stages as he preserved his players during a gruelling programme which sees them playing Ireland just five days after the 50-3 win over Romania.

He admitted that the schedule was a problem, but said his team would not let that get in the way of preparations for the Ireland encounter.

“We are very confident we will be able clear all the hurdles in front of us, including the short break since the Romania match,” he said.

And as for memories of the win over Ireland four years ago, he joined opposition coach Eddie O’Sullivan in labelling it “history.”

He said: “What we really need to do is focus on the game this week, not on a game that is history for us now,” he said.

“This is a different Argentina team and a different Ireland team.”

Lofreda has named a front row which has not yet played together in the tournament, and the same applies in the halves, as Quesada and Pichot have yet to start a match in harness.

Argentina’s top points scorer at the tournament, Martin Gaitan, is on the bench.

Argentina: I Corleto (Stade Francais); JM Nunez Piossek (Huirapuca), J Orengo (Grenoble), F Contepomi (Leinster), D Albanese (Leeds); G Quesada (Beziers), A Pichot (Stade Francais); R Grau (Liceo de Mendoza); F Mendez (Mendoza), M Reggiardo (Castres), I Fernandez Lobbe (Castres), R Alvarez (Perpignan), L Ostiglia (Ostiglia), R Martin (San Isidro BA), G Longo (Narbonne).

Replacements: M Ledesma (Castres), M Scelzo (Narbonne), P Albacete (Colomiers), S Phelan (San Isidro BA), N Fernandez Miranda (Hindu), M Gaitan (Biarritz), J Hernandez (Deportivo Francesca).