Pumas postpone warm-up match

Argentina have had to postpone their Rugby Championship warm-up against a New South Wales Waratahs XV as several players in the squad are nursing injuries and their focus must remain on the test matches.

Argentina, who were released from a bio-secure facility in Sydney earlier this week, are keen to get some gametime before opening their campaign against the All Blacks on 14 November.

However, coach Mario Ledesma said, given most of the team had not played in more than seven months, it was more important they focused on ensuring they would be in the best possible shape to face New Zealand and the Wallabies.

Ledesma added that because both the Wallabies and All Blacks had already played domestic Super Rugby competitions and two tests, the challenge would be tougher on his team.

The Pumas were hit by a wave of Covid-19 infections before they left for Australia, with more than a dozen players and coaches testing positive.

The majority of the team arrived in Sydney in early October and spent two weeks in isolation. Another 13 European-based players only arrived this week and are in isolation.