Rugby: Wallabies pack set for pushy Pumas

James Slipper. Photo Getty
James Slipper. Photo Getty
A fit and uncompromising James Slipper will ensure the Wallabies have their most experienced front-row of the Rugby Championship ready for an Argentine scrum onslaught on Saturday night.

Vice-captain Slipper on Thursday proved he was completely over injury and sickness concerns in an important boost to Australia ahead of the clash at Cbus Super Stadium.

While a disappointing crowd of only 15,000 is expected on the Gold Coast, the Wallabies pack know the Pumas will well and truly turn up aiming for a breakthrough victory.

Yet to win in their 15 tests and three seasons in the competition, Argentina gave Australia a major fright in their 2012 and '13 matches Down Under and will again employ a powerful scrum as their main weapon.

Braced for the challenge is the 148-test front-row combination of Slipper (55 caps), recalled rake Tatafu Polota-Nau (49) and Sekope Kepu (44).

Slipper trained strongly on Thursday morning, completing the set-piece and mauling drills he was rested from early this week, to show he was over the shoulder-neck problem which forced him from the field in the 24-23 win over South Africa.

Former captain James Horwill said the ever-improving loosehead would be a vital contributor against the Pumas forwards.

"Slippy, especially in attack, has been one of our strongest ball-carriers and he gets through a lot of work," the second-rower said.

"His scrummaging over the last two years has improved out of sight and on that loose-head side he's become a real handful for opposition sides."

Horwill puts his Queensland teammate's continued rise down to his fierce competitiveness and full-time move from tighthead to loosehead.

"He's a guy that doesn't like being second best and doesn't accept mediocrity," he said. "He gets the s**** a bit when things don't go well.

"That's good, that's what you want from guys."

The return of Polota-Nau, from a knee injury, to solve Australia's hooking crisis will also prove crucial early.

"The Pumas will come out of the blocks and be very hard and very physical early so we need that calm head that Taf provides," Horwill said.

"From numbers one to 15 they are very combative. You have to get stuck in at the breakdown and match up with them physically."

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