PREVIEW-Rugby-New-look Wallabies face step up in class against Argentina

Australia face a stiffer test of their progress under new coach Les Kiss when they open a two-match series against Argentina in San Salvador de Jujuy on Saturday, stepping up ‌a weight division after sweeping Japan earlier this month.

The Wallabies went to 2-0 under Kiss after an encouraging 56-17 win over Eddie Jones' Japan in Townsville but the Pumas offer a more physical and battle-hardened challenge for next year's World Cup hosts, who are still ‌a work in progress. While some thought Kiss might stick to his predecessor Joe Schmidt's playbook, the new Wallabies boss is ‌forging his own path to building a squad capable of winning the World Cup -- and appears happy to break a few eggs to get the desired results.

That has meant turning over the entire Wallabies' pack for the Pumas and leaving Rugby Australia's A$5 million poster boy Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who missed the second ⁠Japan test ​due to injury, on the bench. Prop ⁠Allan Alaalatoa will lead the side in Harry Wilson's stead, with the number eight dropping out of the match-day squader for a rest.

While the backline remains ⁠unchanged, the forward pack reset is a big risk against the beefy Pumas, who pushed world champions South Africa in a 17-10 defeat in ​Buenos Aires three weeks ago. Win or lose, Kiss will know more about his squad's depth after the match in ⁠northern Argentina.

"As the games get tighter, there might be a little bit more repetition of certain people in certain positions, for sure," he told reporters. "But I think ⁠it's ​right to give these guys a real shot at it and raise that competitive dial that I've been talking about."

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi, by contrast, will field the same starting 15 that lost to the Springboks, captained again by Pablo Matera in ⁠the absence of Julian Montoya. He will be without many of his overseas-based players but the squad has plenty of firepower and ⁠experience. The second-row pairing of Tomas ⁠Lavanini and Guido Petti alone have 194 caps between them.

With the Pumas losing two out of three Nations Championship matches in July, the hosts are under pressure to deliver a galvanising win ‌to show they are ‌on the right track ahead of the World Cup.