Nations Championship · Round 2
Argentina
Wales
Estadio del Bicentenario, San Juan
Championship Standings
Round 1 of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Championship is in the books, and the Rest of World group holds the early edge — South Africa (45–21 v England), New Zealand (34–32 v France) and Japan (27–10 v Italy) all won their openers, leaving Australia, Argentina and Fiji chasing. In Europe, Wales, Scotland and Ireland all won, France banked two bonus points in a two-point loss to the All Blacks, and England and Italy sit pointless. The competition is two groups of six playing a full cross-group round-robin — four points for a win, two for a draw, plus bonus points for scoring four tries and for losing by seven or fewer — with the group standings seeding a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. The tables below are seeded on points then points difference after Round 1.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of World | ||||||
| 1 |  South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | +24 | 5 |
| 2 |  New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 |  Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | +17 | 4 |
| 4 |  Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| 5 | Argentina | 1 | 0 | 1 | -9 | 1 |
| 6 |  Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | -15 | 0 |
| Europe | ||||||
| 1 | Wales | 1 | 1 | 0 | +15 | 5 |
| 2 |  Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | +9 | 5 |
| 3 |  Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| 4 |  France | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| 5 |  Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | -17 | 0 |
| 6 |  England | 1 | 0 | 1 | -24 | 0 |
Argentina
W2, L3Los Pumas opened their Nations Championship at home in Córdoba and shipped 47 points to Scotland — a 38–47 defeat that will have gnawed at Felipe Contepomi all week. That is the story of this side: they scored 38 and still lost, because the defence leaked at every phase, exactly as it did in the 67–30 Durban humiliation and the two-point home reverse to the Boks. The flip side is real — they blew Wales away 52–28 and beat Scotland 33–24 on tour only eight months ago. Contepomi has swung the axe with five changes, handing Boris Wenger and Tomás Rapetti first Test starts in a rebuilt front row; the message is that the leak has to stop.
Wales
W3, L2Suddenly there is a pulse in Welsh rugby. Steve Tandy's side have won three on the bounce — a 31–17 finale over Italy that ended a 15-match Championship losing streak, a 33–31 scrap past the Barbarians, and a genuinely encouraging 39–24 win over Fiji to open this tournament. That Cardiff win over Fiji was a de facto home game; now comes the real test of the tour — a first away leg, a long-haul trip to San Juan, and a very different challenge. The trajectory is unmistakably up, but three of those recent wins came at home or against second-string opposition. This is the first time in the run Wales must front up on the road.
Head-to-Head Record
4 – 1 – 8
Argentina wins · Draws · Wales wins (last 13 meetings)
Argentina (4)Wales own the long history — eight wins in the last 13, including a run on Argentine soil in 2018 when they took both Tests in Argentina (30–12 and 23–10). But the recent trend has flipped hard: Argentina have won the last two meetings and by ever-widening margins, capped by a brutal 52–28 dismantling of Wales in Cardiff last November — Argentina's biggest ever win in the fixture. Wales's most recent victory here came back in 2022, and it was 20–13 in Cardiff, not Argentina. On current form the historical ledger flatters the visitors.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | Autumn Test | Wales 28–52 Argentina |
| Oct 2023 | World Cup | Wales 17–29 Argentina |
| Nov 2022 | Autumn Test | Wales 20–13 Argentina |
| Jul 2021 | Summer Series | Wales 11–33 Argentina |
| Jul 2021 | Summer Series | Wales 20–20 Argentina |
| Jun 2018 | Summer Tour | Argentina 12–30 Wales |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Wales lead the series 8–4 with one draw, but Argentina have won the last two by an average of 18 points — including a 52–28 rout in Cardiff eight months ago. The historical edge is Welsh; every recent data point is Argentine.
Extended Form
Argentina7W, 6L (last 12 months)
Beat New Zealand 29–23 in Buenos Aires and Australia 28–26, swept the November tour with wins over Scotland (33–24) and Wales (52–28), and edged a competitive Rugby Championship. Losses include a 67–30 evisceration by South Africa, a two-point home defeat to the Boks (27–29), a four-point reverse in London to England, and the 38–47 Nations Championship opener against Scotland.
Argentina are a genuine top-five side on their day — they beat the All Blacks inside this window — but the defence is a recurring liability, and it cost them Round 1 at home. The San Juan crowd and a reshaped, angry pack should lift them; whether the back line stops leaking is the whole question.
Wales5W, 8L (last 12 months)
Beat Italy (31–17), Japan (24–23), the Barbarians (33–31) and Fiji (39–24), plus a July 2025 win in Japan (31–22). Losses were heavy — England (48–7), France (54–12), South Africa (0–73), New Zealand (52–26) and Argentina (52–28) — alongside narrow Six Nations reverses to Scotland and Ireland.
The record still reads bottom-tier, but the shape of it is changing: the recent results are wins, and the losses are older. Under Tandy this is a side that has found a floor and a little belief. The caveat is the calibre of the recent scalps — Italy, Fiji, the Barbarians — none of whom carry Argentina's ceiling.
Argentina XV
Contepomi made five changes after the Scotland loss: Boris Wenger and Tomás Rapetti earn first Test starts in a rebuilt front row, Marcos Kremer shifts to openside with Santiago Grondona at six, and Justo Piccardo and Bautista Delguy come into the back line. Captain Julián Montoya anchors the pack, Pablo Matera drops to a heavyweight bench, and Guido Petti wins his 100th cap — only the sixth Puma to reach the mark. Santiago Carreras stays at fullback with brother Mateo on the wing.
Wales XV
Tandy makes three changes to the side that beat Fiji: Sam Costelow starts at fly-half in place of Dan Edwards, James Botham comes in at blindside, and the finishers reshuffle. Dewi Lake captains from hooker, Rhys Carré packs down at loosehead, and Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright drive the back row. Ryan Elias is set to win his 50th cap off the bench, Kane James is in line for a Test debut, and Louis Rees-Zammit drops to the replacements.
Key Matchups
The obvious edges are Argentine and out wide: the Carreras brothers plus Cinti and Piccardo carry more X-factor than a young Welsh back line that leans on Murray and Mee. But two things muddy it. First, Argentina's front row is brand new — Wenger and Rapetti making their first starts against a Lake-led Welsh set piece that has been the tourists' most reliable weapon all year. Second, Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright are a top-tier breakdown pairing, and if they slow Argentina's ruck ball the way Scotland exploited soft Puma edges in Round 1, Costelow can keep Wales in the arm-wrestle. This is decided at the gainline: front-foot ball for Argentina and their edges run riot; a turnover count that goes Welsh and it becomes a nervy, kickable grind.
Match Forecast
The scorecard nets to +7 for Argentina, and the logic is straightforward: home advantage in San Juan, a Wales side facing its first real travel test of the tour, and a recent head-to-head that has swung emphatically Argentine — a 52–28 hammering in Cardiff only eight months ago being the headline. Los Pumas also carry the greater ceiling out wide, with the Carreras brothers, Cinti and Piccardo offering more strike than Wales can muster, and an angry, reshaped pack marshalling Petti's 100th cap. On raw quality and venue, Argentina should win this.
The caveats keep it live. Argentina just leaked 47 points at home to Scotland — this is a defence that malfunctions under pressure, and Wales arrive on a three-match winning run with belief restored under Steve Tandy. If Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright win the breakdown and Argentina's brand-new front row of Wenger and Rapetti creaks at the first scrum, Costelow can drag this into exactly the kickable, low-tempo grind that has undone Los Pumas before. Expect Argentina to have too much through the middle third — but a bonus point is far from guaranteed, and a fast Welsh start would make the final quarter genuinely tense.
Argentina's firepower and home comfort to see them home in San Juan — but a leaky defence keeps improving Wales within a converted try.
Guido Petti wins his 100th cap for Argentina — only the sixth Puma ever to reach the milestone.
Argentina's biggest-ever win over Wales came just eight months ago in Cardiff — and they've now won the last two meetings, flipping a series Wales long dominated.
Wales still lead the all-time series 8–4 with one draw over the last 13 meetings, and won both Tests on Argentine soil in 2018.
Wales arrive on their first winning streak in years — three straight, ending a 15-match Championship losing run against Italy — but all three came at home or against second-string sides.
Argentina leaked 47 points at home to Scotland in Round 1; Contepomi has made five changes, including first Test starts for props Boris Wenger and Tomás Rapetti, to stop the bleeding.
Wales's Round 1 win over Fiji was a de facto home game in Cardiff — the long-haul trip to San Juan is the first genuine road test of their tour.