Wallabies Head to the Altitude of Jujuy as Argentina Stand Firm with Unchanged Side
Argentina and Australia face off on 29 August 2026 in the first of two rugby union Test matches, played at Estadio 23 de Agosto in San Salvador de Jujuy — a football ground high in Argentina's north-west, and a venue the Wallabies have not visited in four years (Brisbane Times). Kick-off is scheduled for 4pm local time, which is 5am AEST for Australian viewers (The Guardian).
The two-Test series continues a week later, on 5 September, in Mendoza — the so-called "revancha" (return match) that gives the loser a shot at redemption (UAR).
Los Pumas, as Argentina's national team are known, have named an unchanged starting XV for the Jujuy Test — a vote of confidence in the group that pushed South Africa close before falling 17-10 in their previous outing (Super Rugby; Reuters). The Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR), the body that runs Argentine rugby, has been staging home Tests against top-tier opposition across the country, and Jujuy fits that pattern of taking the national team to passionate rugby outposts.
Australia, by contrast, arrive with a reshuffled lineup. Coach Les Kiss — appointed to the Wallabies job in 2026 — has made a host of changes to the side, including naming Allan Alaalatoa as captain and handing Isaac Kailea a spot in the starting front row (Rugby Australia). Tom Hooper and back Ben Donaldson are both part of the touring squad (Rugby Australia; Reuters).
Kiss has had a solid start in charge. The Wallabies won their first two matches under him, including a 56-17 victory over Eddie Jones' Japan in Townsville, though that win was preceded by a nervier 35-32 squeak against the same opponents (Reuters; Reuters). Argentina in their own backyard, at altitude, in front of a fervent crowd, is a markedly different proposition.
A wrinkle in the calendar: the Rugby Championship — the annual four-nation tournament featuring Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — is currently paused to accommodate what is being billed as "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry," a standalone tour between the Springboks and the All Blacks (The Guardian). That leaves Argentina and Australia to contest their own two-match series outside the main competition structure, though the Tests still carry full international status.
For fans, the subtext is clear enough. Kiss is still calibrating his best team, and every selection call in Jujuy is a data point for what comes next. Argentina, unchanged and settled, are betting on continuity. The altitude in Jujuy — the city sits roughly 1,200 metres above sea level — adds a layer of fatigue that can flatten visiting sides in the final quarter, when legs go heavy and errors creep in.
Rugby Australia and The Guardian both carried live coverage of the match (Rugby Australia; The Guardian). The second Test in Mendoza on 5 September will decide whether either side can claim the series outright.
