Rugby Championship

Cruden quit New Zealand rugby in 2017 for a three-year deal with Top 14 club Montpellier worth a reported $3.6 million.

The 30-year-old first five-eighth has signed on again - but only until November - as a 'medical joker' to cover the club until the end of the Rugby World Cup tournament in Japan.

A Planet Rugby report claimed Cruden - a former Chiefs captain - could be a target for the Hurricanes, who have lost All Blacks star Beauden Barrett to the Blues.

The Wallabies' scrum dominated the Pumas' and player of the match Will Genia, Kurtley Beale and comeback king Christian Leali'ifano put on an assured kicking display not seen for a long time from an Australian Test team.

Most pleasing was Australia's defence, keeping the Pumas try-less until the 74th minute with disciplined, patient defence in front of an appreciative 31,559 crowd at the iconic Brisbane ground.

"Really pleasing, we love coming up here ... really pleased with our play and how we bounced back from a short week's turnaround," captain Michael Hooper said.

Lealiifano, 31, is set for his first Australia appearance since June 2016, having returned to form with the Brumbies after a battle with leukaemia.

While Lealiifano was named to start at fly-half for the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship clash in Brisbane on Saturday, O'Connor is among the reserves.

O'Connor has played 44 Tests for the Wallabies, but the last of those was in September 2013, also against Argentina.

Isa, who plays for Toulon, will start for the first time since 2016 when he runs out at no. 8 for Argentina this weekend, replacing Javier Ortega Desio in the starting lineup.

Exeter's Cordero will start on the wing, set to potentially go up against current Premiership teammate Nic White in Saturday's Suncorp Stadium clash.

Cordero's comeback pushes Matias Moroni into outside centre with Matias Orlando coming off the bench.

The tactical cat and mouse that comes with most lead-in Tests to the showpiece tournament in Japan won't apply on Saturday at Westpac Stadium as the two heavyweights get set to field teams at close to full strength.

Hanging over the contest is last year's result at the same venue which the Springboks won 36-34.

Retallick says there's no way he could forget that result, one of just four losses he has experienced in his 76 tests in an All Blacks jersey.

The Rugby Championship Test in Wellington on Saturday is the only meeting of the old rivals ahead of their clash in Yokohama on September 21st, a match that should set the World Cup alight on day two of the tournament.

Hansen says both teams are in a building process and plenty can happen in two months, stripping this week's match of a bragging rights element.

"I guess it will give whoever wins it a little confidence going in to the World Cup, but it won't mean whoever wins this one will automatically win the one in the World Cup," he said.

Hansen says while the World Cup is his prized goal this year, he isn't concerned about what the match against South Africa on Saturday might mean ahead of their cup round-robin match in Japan in two months' time.

The All Blacks and South Africa clash in their opening pool match at the cup on September 21.

"The tradition is really important, we enjoy their company a lot, we respect them, we love the way they play and we love the challenge they bring to us, so from that point of view it is really important encounter," Hansen told reporters in Wellington.

The Springboks beat the Wallabies 35-17 on Saturday despite Rassie Erasmus leaving out a string of key men at Ellis Park.

Director of rugby Erasmus' decision to make changes did not backfire, as scrum-half Herschel Jantjies scored two tries in an impressive debut.

Erasmus flew out to New Zealand soon after the victory along with his coaching staff and eight players - including the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Jesse Kriel, Pieter-Steph du Toit.

After South Africa's earlier resounding victory over Australia, this was a match of a different nature and the All Blacks were clinging on at the end for their success on Saturday.

First-half tries from Ngani Laumape and Brodie Retallick looked to have put the visitors in control, but New Zealand went scoreless in the second 40 minutes.

Emiliano Boffelli pulled a try back and, come the closing stages, Argentina were camped close to the New Zealand line.

Crusaders winger Sevu Reece has been named on the right wing, while Chiefs prop Atu Moli, Chiefs loose forward Luke Jacobson, Highlanders first five Josh Ioane and Crusaders back Braydon Ennor are all in the reserves.

Ngani Laumape and Anton Leinert-Brown form the midfield with Jordie Barrett on the left wing.

With most of the Crusaders missing the trip to Argentina, the front row is made up of Ofa Tuungafasi, Dane Coles and Angus Ta'avao.

Flanker Sam Cane will captain the side for the third time.