Wallabies swap entire forward pack for Argentina Test as Kiss builds toward 2027 World Cup
Les Kiss has changed every single forward in the Wallabies' starting pack for Sunday's Test against Argentina in Jujuy, resting captain Harry Wilson and shunting Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to the bench as Australia begins shaping a squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
Kiss, who took over as head coach last month, said he needs to build two capable starting XVs — a squad of 23 matchday players, in rugby terms — before the World Cup arrives in roughly a year. With eight matches remaining in 2026, including two in Argentina, a Bledisloe Cup home-and-away series against New Zealand, and a three-match tour of the UK for the Nations Championship, there is no time to waste The Guardian.
Prop Allan Alaalatoa, a 91-cap veteran from the ACT Brumbies, captains the side in Wilson's absence — taking the armband ahead of Fraser McReight, who had skippered the team against South Africa earlier in August The Guardian. Wilson, though, has been backed to resume the captaincy later in the year.
Rob Valetini fills Wilson's spot at No.8, the back-row position at the base of the scrum, while McReight shifts to the openside flank. The halfback pairing of Ryan Lonergan and Carter Gordon stays intact, as does the Queensland Reds centre pairing of Hunter Paisami and Isaac Henry Reuters.
Suaalii, the cross-code star who joined rugby union in 2024, will come off the bench, with Kiss flagging he could cover either wing or fullback The Guardian.
Argentina, meanwhile, are not at full strength. Several players, including captain and hooker Julián Montoya, are unavailable because of European club commitments The Guardian. Los Pumas field an unchanged side from the one that lost 17-10 to South Africa earlier in August — meaning the same group gets another shot, despite the absentees.
The backdrop is a competitive one. Australia sit eighth in the World Rugby rankings, one place behind Argentina. Los Pumas had a standout 2025, beating the British & Irish Lions, New Zealand and Scotland, and splitting their Test series with Australia 1-1 The Guardian.
The match kicks off at the Estadio 23 de Agosto in Jujuy, a city of about 300,000 in Argentina's northwest. The 25,000-seat ground has hosted only two previous Tests The Guardian. For Australian viewers, it is an early start — Sunday at 5am AEST.
What makes Kiss's selection stand out is the scale of it. Swapping an entire pack between Tests is rare at international level, where cohesion in the set piece — the scrum, lineout and ruck (the contest for the ball on the ground after a tackle) — usually dictates keeping combinations intact. Kiss is betting that fresh legs matter more than familiarity, with the World Cup now looming on the horizon.
