OPINION: For all the endeavour of Argentina, Steve Hansen's latest selections show they still haven't developed into a major threat after five years in the Rugby Championship.
They've played 27 games, won three and drawn one. None of those wins are against New Zealand. The closest they've come in the Rugby Championship is 15 points.
It's hardly imposing and that means they still provide a useful tool for rotating players and blooding young talent.
In form All Blacks like Ryan Crotty, Sam Whitelock, Rieko Ioane, Aaron Smith and Liam Squire are all given a rest. You can all but guarantee they'll return for the Springboks next week.
To be fair to Argentina, Australia and South Africa rarely pick up wins against the All Blacks either.
Those teams are still treated like threats to New Zealand's W column though, with top string sides usually selected.
The question is then, how long do you give a team to develop into a force in SANZAAR's competitions?
At what point do you say that having Argentina in the competition isn't actually developing the Pumas game and is just charity?
The Pumas, in the guise of the Jaguares, aren't exactly making a major statement in Super Rugby either. They brought back almost all of their players from Europe to make it work and it hasn't clicked yet.
Considering they have no other professional teams, is having the same group of Argentine players losing week after week actually developing their game?
Of course, they'd rather get match time against top quality sides, so they'd say it's better than the old model.
They made the 2015 World Cup semifinal but they'd done that before they were invited to the Rugby Championship. Their style seems to challenge the Northern teams.
They've made ground on the Boks with two wins in the last three years, then again, that's no longer the litmus test it was.
WIthstanding an Argentine A side that does the rounds, the country's rugby is an amateur club competition. It's hardly building a promising player base.
Until something more is fostered, it's hard to see the Pumas becoming a consistent threat.
It was honourable from SANZAAR to give them a spot but Argentina appears to be treading water, not making huge strides.
Ross Karl is the rugby editor for Newshub sport
