Argentina

The last time Argentina played England at Twickenham it took a late tryfrom Jason Leonard to squeak home 20-18 and save major embarrassment. Fouryears later and the Pumas have gone from strength to strength by claimingfifth place in the World Cup and giving world champions Australia a rareold scare in Brisbane this summer before losing 32-25.

Running the Springboks so close, 37-33, in front of a record 55,000 crowdin the River Plate Stadium, will have done their confidence no harm at alland scrum half Agustin Pichot was named man-of-the-matchfor his part inastirring comeback.

Argentine rugby is still an amateur game and lives in the shadow ofsoccer at home but it was their decision to allow their best players toplay in Europe's new professional club game which has enabled the Pumas totest the best consistently. For instance, Pichot, laying claim to be theworld's No 1 scrum half, is at Bristol with compatriot and fly half FelipeContemponi while hooker Freddie Mendez is with Begles-Bordeaux afterhelping Northampton' to their European Cup triumph.

The decision to appoint former captain Marcelo Laffreda after the World Cupwas a masterstroke. He made his debut against England in 1978 and returnsto Twickenham for the first time on November 25 after impressing theplayers with his ideas and work ethic.

Preparation has always been a problem for the Pumas but Laffreda took theview that if Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain comes toMohammed and before the one-off Test with the Springboks he held athree-day training session in Begles, the heartland of French rugby, toavoid a draining 15-hour flight home for his Europe-based players.

The Pumas strength has always been in the pack where they pioneered atechnique - the bajada -which focuses the bulk of the pressure through thehooker. They have shunted around a few world heavyweights as a result.