Cubelli leads experienced Jaguares

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Jaguares coach Gonzalo Quesada has named a very experienced team top host the Lions in the opening round of Super Rugby, in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Seasoned international scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli will lead a Jaguares side featuring 12 players who played in last year's Final against the Crusaders.

Cubelli, 30, takes the captaincy in the injury-enforced absence of regular skipper Jeronimo de la Fuente.

The scrumhalf, who has 70-odd Test caps for his country and also played in 18 games for the Brumbies in 2016 and 2017, forms the halfback pairing with Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, who is back after playing for Racing 92 on loan during the World Cup.

Despite the experienced look, the South American outfit does feature some new names.

Francisco Gorrissen will start just his second Super Rugby match this weekend, in a loose trio with Argentinian internationals Marcos Kremer and Tomas Lezana.

Lock Lucas Paulos will win just his fourth cap and there is a potential debut for fellow second row forward Joel Sclavi, who joined the Jaguares this year.

As it was for Argentina in the 2019 World Cup, Julian Montoya is preferred at hooker to veteran Agustin Creevy.

Jaguares: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Juan Cruz Mallia, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 9 Tomas Cubelli (captain), 8 Tomas Lezana, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 5 Lucas Paulos, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Mayco Vivas.

Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Javier Ortega Desio, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Matias Orlando.

Date: Saturday, February 1

Venue: Jose Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires

Kick-off: 20.00 (23.00 GMT; 01.00, Sunday, February 2 SA time)

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Pablo Deluca (Argentina), Martin Cordoba (Argentina)

TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)