Mendez hopes to push Pumas to victory

Argentinian legend Federico Mendez hopes to prove the theory that as with wine, front-row forwards improve with age when he leaves his vineyard to tackle Wales at Tucuman on Saturday.

Mendez, whose career has spanned one year less than record-breaking Wales second-row forward Gareth Llewellyn, packs down in a Puma side shorn of French-based stars such as Stade Francais’ Agustin Pichot and his long-standing rival for the Pumas’ number two jersey, Castres’ Mario Ledesma.