Foley eager to prove himself against Argentina

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BernardFoley - Cropped

With Australia making seven changes for their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina, Bernard Foley is keen to impress after being given the nod.

The fly-half was left out of the matchday 23 for last weekend's 24-20 victory over South Africa, with Quade Cooper starting at 10.

But head coach Michael Cheika has rung the changes for Saturday's Test in Mendoza, with David Pocock, Greg Holmes, Ben McCalman, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua and Joe Tomane all coming into the side along with Foley, who is desperate to prove he is worth his place.

"It's very exciting," he said. "It hurt last week not playing and the guys did a great job. I think 'Cheik' is trying a new combination this week and I'm really looking forward to it.

"I think there's five guys who have played number 10 for Australia in this squad, there's always that competition. 

"That competitive nature of these trainings and of every session is really bringing out the best in the team.

"I'm really enjoying playing with the guys that I'm competing against because you learn so much off them, you pick things up out of their game that can improve my game. So the competition has been really healthy and beneficial for the squad.

"The Argies are very set-piece dominating and they really want to take us on upfront, that's where they get their passion, they really build their game on it.

"But their unpredictability is also a big strength of theirs, they've got a lot of flair in their playmakers and also out wide. If we knock off they'll definitely hurt us."

Australia were stunned in this fixture in October last year, as Argentina prevailed 21-17 - still their only win in this competition.

Despite their 39-18 defeat to New Zealand last Friday, full-back Joaquin Tuculet is upbeat heading into this weekend's meeting with the Wallabies.

"The All Blacks are the hardest team we could have played," he said. "They played well and we didn't really, we made some mistakes we shouldn't but we're self-critical and we'll be good for the game on Saturday.

"Last year we finished well with the win in Mendoza against Australia. Hopefully we can play at the same level and beat the Wallabies again.

"We have to grow in this game, concentrate and given everything to be able to beat Australia. The aim is to improve game by game."

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