Preview: Jaguares v Kings

The Jaguares and Kings will be playing both for pride and to finish the season as strongly as possible when they face off in Buenos Aires.

Friday's fixture sees 10th take on 12th in the table as the Jaguares are currently five points ahead of their opponents going into the game. The Kings however have scored four more tries than their hosts, but it's the visitors' defence that's cost them as they have leaked 14 more.

What will encourage the Kings is that the Jaguares haven't held a fortress at home this season and they have lost their last two matches on their patch, never have they lost more in succession at home. Furthermore, the Kings won their last Friday fixture, defeating the Waratahs.

The Kings will need one of their star performers, Chris Cloete, to be in pilfering form as this season he leads the turnover count on 26. This team has certainly come on in leaps and bounds this year and one man steering them is fly-half Lionel Cronje, who is full of confidence.

Cronje returns to the side this week after missing their last match against the Lions due to injury. He captains a strong-looking line-up.

Travel though is often a factor for visiting teams to Argentina but head coach Dean Davids is confident his men are settled after the trip.

"It was a long and tiring travel to Buenos Aires. The guys were a little tired when we arrived here. We have done some recovery and had a good team meeting and training session," Davids said ahead of Friday's game. "The guys look excited and are ready to go on Friday night."

"We expect a very tough game. The Jaguares will always be a formidable side here in Buenos Aires. They have selected an internationally experienced team, so we know we have to be at our best from the start. We have to keep the pressure on them for the whole 80 minutes."

The last time these teams met: It was in Round One of this season that these two last clashed as the Jaguares won 39-26 in Port Elizabeth thanks to tries from Gonzalo Bertranou, Leonardo Senatore and Joaquín Tuculet. Joaquín Díaz Bonilla and Santiago González Iglesias kicked 11 and 13 points respectively while Makazole Mapimpi and Luzuko Vulindlu crossed for the Kings with Lionel Cronje sending over 16 points.

Players to watch:

For Jaguares: A rare chance for hooker Julián Montoya this week as he starts a game while Agustín Creevy isn't on the bench, so he should get a good run out on Friday. The 23-year-old has plenty of promise and already boasts over 30 caps for Argentina, with Creevy a fine man to learn his trade from. Expect Montoya to relish this opportunity and he could also cross the whitewash should the Jaguares' maul motor.

For Kings: While they will need to match the Jaguares up front it is the calming presence of Louis Schreuder and Lionel Cronje that could prove decisive if the Kings are to claim a win on the road. Schreuder has flourished since his move to Port Elizabeth while Cronje is also a man relishing being a leader in this side. If they stamp their authority on this match and control the pace then the Kings have a chance.

Team news: Martín Landajo captains the side in the absence of Agustín Creevy as Julián Montoya takes over at hooker in the middle of props Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and Lucas Noguera, with Guido Petti and Matías Alemanno behind them. The strong look up front is completed by flanks Pablo Matera and Juan Manuel Leguizamón and number eight Leonardo Senatore. Meanwhile in the back-line, Nicolás Sánchez starts at 10 while Bautista Ezcurra joins Matías Orlando in the midfield with Emiliano Boffelli and Matías Moroni the wings and Joaquín Tuculet at full-back.

Kings loosehead prop Mzamo Majola, who made his Super Rugby debut against the Lions in Johannesburg in May, will get his first start this weekend as he replaces the injured Schalk van der Merwe in the one jersey. Wandile Mjekevu will start at right wing in the place of Alshaun Bock. In a rotational change, hooker Michael Willemse, who has returned to action following an appendix operation, will regain the hooker jersey as Martin Bezuidenhout will provide cover on the bench. Andisa Ntsila and Lionel Cronje, who were on national duty during the June break with the South Africa 'A' side, are also back in the line-up with the in-form Cronje also leading the Kings as captain once again.

Form: It's been a hugely disappointing spell for the Jaguares as they have lost six of their last seven Super Rugby fixtures, meaning they have no hope of qualifying for the knockout stage. Many expected a much improved campaign from the Argentine franchise and while they have picked up more points with games still to play, their form sees them a whopping 32 points behind the pace-setting Lions in the conference.

For the Kings they have most definitely improved their game in 2017. Four wins is already double their return of 2016 with a run of three victories from April into May lifting spirits. However, back-to-back losses followed to the Brumbies and Lions which have seen them falter.

Prediction: We're expecting an entertaining game as both sides have chanced their arm in possession this season. The hosts to come out on top though as we go for the Jaguares by 5.

Previous results:

2017: Jaguares won 39-26 in Port Elizabeth
2016: Kings won 29-22 in Port Elizabeth
2016: Jaguares won 73-27 in Buenos Aires

The teams:

Jaguares: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo (c), 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Lucas Noguera
Replacements: 16 Roberto Tejerizo, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Ignacio Larrague, 20 Rodrigo Báez, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Santiago Cordero

Kings: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Wandile Mjekevu, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje (c), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 4 Irne Herbst, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Michael Willemse, 1 Mzamo Majola
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Thembelani Bholi, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Masixole Banda, 23 Yaw Penxe

Date: Friday, June 30
Venue: Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 20:05 local (23:05 GMT)
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Pali Deluca (Argentina), Damian Schneider (Argentina)