Rosario is best known as the birthplace of revolutionary Che Guevara and home town of footballing genius Lionel Messi but the Pumas can also make it a landmark Test rugby venue on Saturday night.

Argentina are desperate to notch their first Rugby Championship victory in the last round of the four-nation tournament and are eyeing a wounded Wallabies outfit after pushing all three of the world’s best teams.

They were unlucky only to draw 16-all with South Africa in their first Test on home soil in Mendoza, held New Zealand to 9-5 until late in Wellington while Australia also got out of jail on the Gold Coast after trailing 19-6 with 20 minutes left.

With injury-ravaged Australia flying into Argentina on Sunday night following the carnage of a horror trip to South Africa, many see the No.2-ranked team ripe for the picking at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito.

“We want to be strong at home given that its the last match and we want to finish in the best way possible. We have a good chance,” said Pumas flanker Tomas Leonardi.

It’s the first meeting between the two nations in Rosario, four hours north of Buenos Aires, and first in South America since Eddie Jones’ star-studded 2002 side scored just one try in a grinding 17-6 win.

Overall the record is split in Argentina with the Pumas winning three, the Wallabies three and one draw.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans doesn’t need to be reminded of the difficulty either as he was a member of the All Blacks’ 1985 squad which was held to a 21-all draw in Buenos Aires.

Rugby has enjoyed a renaissance in Argentina since the Pumas finished third at the 2007 World Cup, and they again shocked arch-rivals France this year in splitting their series 1-1.

“We’ve got a huge amount of respect for Argentine rugby and when you look at the history of their game, not only at World Cups but in domestic Test matches it’s a very proud history,” Deans said.

Forthright Wallabies skipper Nathan Sharpe knows the atmosphere and home support in Rosario will be as challenging as what they encountered at Pretoria’s Loftus Verseld fortress.

“Argentina at home are very passionate, and they’re playing well,” he said. “It’s a great challenge for us.

“There’s a lot that’s been made about our circumstances but that’s the way it is and we’ll make it work for us.”