Preview: Italy v Argentina

Gonzalo Tiesi: Enjoying life

It's one of those games that sits on the periphery from the other nations of world rugby's top ten. It's not readily available on TV anywhere, it's not widely reported on in rugby's anglo-centric world. But as far as the next World Cup goes, it's hugely significant.

Argentina's star has faded since the World Cup, with the retirement of some household names and the accession of Santiago Phelan to the coaching position. A good coach he is, Marcelo Loffreda he is not.

Home defeats to Scotland and Italy in June - admittedly with a weaker than usual squad - have undermined the Pumas' position in the top echelons of the IRB rankings, and the defeat to France last week has pushed them further away from a top four place. With World Cup seedings at stake, that is of grave concern.

The Pumas can still get back into the top four if they win here and England lose to Australia, but it seems ever more likely that Argentina and England will square off in 2011, as fourth and fifth seeds respectively.

Italy also have designs on a higher-seeded RWC spot, and Nick Mallett will have targeted this game for the big win Italy have been craving for so long. It's their last rankings game - the other Test against the Pacific Islanders doesn't count - and a win by 15 points puts them into the top eight, an altogether more preferable position when it comes to the draw for New Zealand 2011.

Going on last week, Italy ought to be favourites here. It may be difficult to quantify the current Wallaby team as they are rebuilding and erratic in equal measure, but for Italy to hold the Aussies to 20-20 with eight minutes to go is no mean achievement. Nick Mallett continues to bind his team tightly together as his predecessors did, but the try they scored last week was a flash of inspiration that is new to the Azzurri mix.

Andrea Marcato's display at fly-half suggests that he could possibly be the pivot the Italians have needed for so long, much will depend on how the team reacts and plays off him, and allows him to dictate the terms.

Argentina need to come out of their shells. Quite why a back-line of Hernandez, Contempomi and Tiesi chose to kick so much possession away last week is a mystery, but it does suggest that Phelan, a forward by trade, is not giving a starry back-line enough license to thrill. France's defence was not that good?

Italy may afford more space to these three, and there's no shortage of finishing power out wide. If Argentina want to get their top four spot back, they're going to have to take a few chances instead of retreating into a hole and waiting for a mistake as they did last week.

So we could see a surprisingly open game, as the attacks revel in a touch more freedom and as both sides go for the big win they need. On that basis, with Nick Mallett calling the shots, Italy should prevail. But Argentina's 'El Mago' (the Magician) at fly-half may have something to say about that.

One to watch:

For Italy: Should Argentina persist with the aerial assault, Andrea Masi's role at full-back will become crucial. Masi is a hard-running centre with a boot good enough for him to have been considered at fly-half for a while. He'll return loose kicks with interest, and his lines on attack will be piercing.

For Argentina: Centre Gonzalo Tiesi remains an unsung hero wherever he dares to tread, but life at Harlequins has been good to him this season, and with Hernandez and Contempomi keeping Italy's defence on its toes, Tiesi could be the surprise weapon in Argentina's arsenal. Like Masi, his choice of running line is often terrifying to defenders.

Head to head: The two teams have traditionally boasted two of the finest front rows in the business, and Saturday is no exception. Chris White will need to rule with an iron fist, but if he can cut out any nonsense, enjoy the scrum clash!

Recent results:

2008 Italy won 13-12 in Buenos Aires

2007 Argentina won 24-6 in Mendoza

2006 Argentina won 23-16 at Stadio Flaminio

2005 Argentina won 39-22 at Stadio Marassi

2005 Italy won 30-29 at Estadio Olimpico

2005 Argentina won 35-21 at Ernesto Maltearena

2002 Argentina won 36-6 at Stadio Flaminio

2001 Argentina won 38-17 at Ferrocaril Oeste

1998 Italy won 23-19 at Beltrametti

1997 Draw 18-18 at Antoine Beguere

Prediction: A tough one to call, but it will come down to tactical thinking end execution, and Nick Mallett is no slouch there. Italy by six.

The teams:

Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Matteo Pratichetti, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Andrea Marcato, 9 Pablo Canavosio, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Carlos Nieto, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Matias Aguero.

Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Salvatore Perugini, 19 Tommaso Reato, 20 Pietro Travagli, 21 Luciano Orquera, 22 Luke Mclean.

Argentina: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Federico Martin Aramburu, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Rafael Carballo, 10 Juan Martin Hernandez, 9 Nicolas Vergallo; 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, 6 Martin Durand, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Esteban Lozada, 3 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.

Replacements: 16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Alvaro Galindo, 19 Alejandro Campos, 20 Agustin Figuerola, 21 Santiago Fernandez, 22 Horacio Agulla.

Date: Saturday 15 November, 2008

Kick-off: 15:00 (14:00 GMT)

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Turin

Weather: Sunny and dry, no wind, 12°C, damp underfoot.

Referee: Chris White (England)

Touch judges: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Christophe Berdos (France)

Television match official: David Changleng

Assessor: Michel Lamoulie

By Danny Stephens