SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - To say that Argentina have a mountain to climb in Saturday's match against the All Blacks would be something of an understatement but winger Bautista Delguy is confident they will put on a good showing in the Tri-Nations clash.
In their first test in more than a year, the Pumas face a New Zealand side battle-hardened in the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition and four tough tests in five weeks against the Wallabies.
Most of the Argentine players, by contrast, have been holed up in a training camp back home, where several of them including coach Mario Ledesma contracted COVID-19, before two weeks of quarantine on their arrival in Sydney.
Delguy, though, suggested that if the Pumas do come up short of a first victory over the All Blacks in 30 attempts, it will not be through lack of preparation or effort.
"I'm very excited to be among the 23, we are looking forward to Saturday. We have been working hard since we started training in September," he said on Friday.
"We've spent the week analysing the opposition and their players. They've been days of concentrated effort because these matches require that."
Ten of Delguy's team mates have good memories of the Western Sydney Stadium, having helped the Jaguares to a victory over the New South Wales Waratahs at the arena on their way to last year's Super Rugby final.
The All Blacks will be another level of competition, of course.
"Defence is going to be very important," Delguy added. "We are a team that is strong on turnovers and we know that we can hurt them there."
Delguy will line up outside a new centre partnership of Matias Orlando and debutant Santiago Chocobares on Saturday.
Flanker Santiago Grondona and another centre Lucio Cinti are likely to win their first caps from the bench.
"The team trusts them, we have a lot of confidence in them, they have been training very hard," Delguy said.
"They are very well prepared and they look very good."