Argentina will play their home matches in next year's inaugural Rugby Championship at Mendoza, La Plata and Rosario, the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) have announced.

The UAR revealed that the Pumas will play their first match against South Africa, on August 25, at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in the western city of Mendoza.

They will then face World Cup winners New Zealand in La Plata, just outside Buenos Aires, on September 29, while their final match in the competition will be against Australia in Rosario, 300 kilometres to the north of the capital, on October 6.

"Next year will be an unprecedented one for rugby in Argentina, with the Pumas playing a total of 12 matches, including six at home, against the strongest nations in the world," said UAR president Luis Castillo.

The Rugby Championship, also known as the "Four Nations", replaces the Tri-Nations after Argentina were invited to compete against the other superpowers of rugby in the southern hemisphere.

The competition will begin on August 18.

SAPA-AFP