The four-nation Rugby Championship tournament thunders ahead Saturday with what promises to be a gritty and unpredictable clash that will stream live. The contest is between host Australia and Argentina, who will be gunning for only their second win in 11 attempts Down Under. In fact, the Pumas have not defeated the Wallabies in Australia since a historic 18-3 victory in Brisbane in 1983.
Both sides have won one match while losing two in the double-round-robin Rugby Championship competition, which also features the World Cup champion New Zealand All Blacks, as well as the South Africa Springboks.
Cheika shuffles pack again as more demanded https://t.co/1Ss5uHTAj9 #rugby
— Fox Sports Rugby (@FOXRugbyLive) September 15, 2016
But while Argentina will scramble to break their away-match losing streak in Australia, the Wallabies must win to continue the resurgence they hope began with last weekend’s 23-17 victory over South Africa; a win that snapped a dismal six-match skid.
Argentina also has a win over South Africa in the tournament, and while they came out on the losing end, the South American squad gave New Zealand a surprising challenge for at least 50 minutes of their match last weekend, although the All Blacks poured it on in the latter stages of the game and came away with a crushing 57-22 win .
“I know the Pumas very well, I know their footy. They can play,” said Australia Head Coach Michael Cheika. “They’re going to test us, they can play a lot more offloading and open play with balls back inside. They’ll challenge our defense and we’ll need to take a step up, no doubt.”
To get a more in-depth preview of the Australia vs. Argentina rugby match, watch the panel discussion in the video below.
To find out how to watch the Australia vs. Argentina Rugby Championship match, see the streaming links at the bottom of this article. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Western Australian Time, 8:05 p.m. Eastern at the Perth Oval, also known as nib Stadium, in Perth, Australia, on Saturday, September 17.
Fans in the United States can catch the live stream at 6:05 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 3:05 a.m. Pacific.
STARTER:. @tcubelli89 promoted to @lospumas starting XV for the test vs @qantaswallabies . https://t.co/6hJNt9i2M5 pic.twitter.com/2PASeFIWZO
— Brumbies (@BrumbiesRugby) September 15, 2016
Argentina has made four changes for the showdown with Australia, most notably bringing in halfback Tomas Cubelli who should feel comfortable on an Australian rugby pitch. Cubelli played for the Canberra Super Rugby side, Brumbies, this season.
Cubelli will be making his first Test appearance for his country since last year’s World Cup.
Here are the projected teams for Saturday’s match.
Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Bernard Foley, 11 Reece Hodge, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia; 1 Scott Sio, 2 Stephen Moore (c), 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 Rob Simmons, 5 Adam Coleman, 6 Dean Mumm, 7 Michael Hooper, 8 David Pocock.
Argentina: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 11 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli; 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 3 Ramiro Herrera, 4 Javier Ortega Desio, 5 Matias Alemanno, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 8 Facundo Isa.
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ESPN3, the free, online-only network of sports giant ESPN, will carry the Australia Vs. Argentina Rugby Championship Test match live stream with online video from nib Stadium in Perth, Australia. Click on this link to watch as the Pumas strive to score only their second-ever victory on Wallabies turf, streaming for free on a computer or on mobile and set-top devices with ESPN3 via the WatchESPN app.
ESPN3 is free to subscribers of almost any major internet service provider and dozens of smaller ISPs. For a complete list, check this link , or try the instructions at this link if you do not have an account with an ISP that carries ESPN3.
Cricket fans in Australia can catch the live stream of their struggling national Rugby Union team’s Rugby Championship clash against the Argentina Pumas via the FoxTel Play service available at this link . The service, which normally costs a subscription fee of $50 (Australian) per month, now offers a two-week free trial, allowing fans to watch the last match of the Australia vs. Argentina Rugby Championship Test match at no charge.
Rugby fans who miss the Australia vs. Argentina rugby match due to the early-morning U.S. start time can catch a full replay of the game via ESPN3 at this link .
[Featured Image by Frank Augstein / Associated Press]