Round two of the Rugby Championship is here and teams are rolling up their sleeves and bringing in the big guns for this one. 

If the first round was a knock-the-rust off kind of round, the second should be a knock down, drag out set of affairs. The four southern hemisphere giants are fielding their best of the best, and will use this weekend as a good measuring stick for how they are heading into World Cup 2019. 

Last week's fixtures, for the most part, went as expected. The Springboks won relatively comfortably at home against Australia, and the short-handed All Blacks ground out a win at Argentina. Both teams ran out a mixed unit of first XV and second XV players, but were still able to pick up confidence-building wins. 

The two losing sides will be disappointed in their overall performance, but they know that they aren't far off the mark. For Argentina, not far off the mark in fact meant it was one held-up lineout drive away from recording its first ever victory over New Zealand. The Pumas are playing with a lot of confidence and belief; the bulk of their team played on the Super Rugby finalist Jaguares team this season, and are riding the momentum of that run into the summer. 

Here's a look at the matchups this weekend:

New Zealand vs South Africa

Neither side holding back 

The last two encounters between these age-old rivals have been instant classics. First was South Africa's remarkable 36-34 victory in Wellington, followed by New Zealand's incredible come-from-behind 32-30 win in Pretoria. 

Both teams will be looking for revenge. The All Blacks want to redeem themselves in Wellington's Westpac stadium, while the Springboks want to avenge that devastating loss from the last meeting that saw them blow a 17-point lead in the final quarter of the game. 

The two titans of international rugby will see each other in the first game of the World Cup, but don't think that means they'll be holding their cards to their chest in this matchup. Each side has named a very formidable team for the clash on Saturday. 

Beauden Barrett's move to the #15 shirt is the big headline of the week. His skills naturally lend him to being an excellent fullback, and pairing him up along side Ben Smith and Rieko Ioane is as dangerous a back three as you could ever find. The move also opens the door for Richie Mo'unga to take the reins as first receiver, and his scintillating form for the Crusaders over the past three years suggests he will deliver in the #10 jumper. 

The @AllBlacks and @Springboks will be playing their 98th Test against each other. New Zealand has won 58 of those matches, South Africa 36 with three draws. #NZLvRSA pic.twitter.com/eKv7zGr5rF

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 24, 2019

For the Boks, the returns of super scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and flyhalf Handre Pollard give them a rock-solid halfback combination to work off of. Willie le Roux and Cheslin Kolbe also slot in at fullback and wing, respectively, and join a powerful South African lineup. 

The Boks will hope the speed and skill set of their flanker Kwagga Smith can cause the All Blacks problems. The former Blitzbokke 7s star is undersized for an international back-rower, but he makes up for it in athleticism, skill, and unrelenting tenacity. 

It figures to be a monster showdown between two of the games best teams. With an impending World Cup showdown on the horizon, these teams will be looking to get that psychological edge with a big win on this weekend. 

Australia vs Argentina

The Wallabies didn't get off to the start they were hoping for in 2019, but it's not time to hit the panic button just yet. An unflattering scoreline vs the Springboks a week ago might be leaving the Aussie fans skeptical, but there were a few moments in that game that, had they gone slightly differently, could have completely changed the scope of the contest. 

The Pumas played a good game of rugby last week against New Zealand, but fell a couple of meters short of notching a famous first win vs the All Blacks under their belts. Regardless, they have to be confident in what they are putting together, just weeks away from the World Cup. 

Kurtley Beale returns to the starting lineup at fullback for Australia after his electric performance off the bench a week ago. Also coming into the first XV will be flyhalf Christian Lealiifano, who makes his first appearance for the Wallabies in three years, after battling his way back from Leukemia. 

BREAKING l Your #Wallabies team to face Argentina in their first home Test of the #TRC19.

READ: https://t.co/gTYACc6V82

Watch live on @FOXSportsAUS, @kayosports & on TEN HD, Saturday night at 7:45pm AEST.

TICKETS: https://t.co/BAn3J7x8xz#GoldBlooded #FarewellWillyG #AUSvARG pic.twitter.com/NekiIf3itf

— Qantas Wallabies (@qantaswallabies) July 24, 2019

For Argentina, it's a slightly different lineup from their encounter with New Zealand. Augustin Creevy, Martin Kremer, and Emiliano Boffelli are all being rested, and 2015 RWC breakout star Santiago Cordero comes back into the side at his wing position. 

Todos listos para el sábado. Así formará el equipo por la segunda fecha del #PersonalRugbyChampionship. #VamosPumas pic.twitter.com/kKNsUnUkdX

— Los Pumas (@lospumas) July 24, 2019

Australia vs Argentina is always an exciting matchup, and there should be plenty of highlights once again as these two powerhouses go head to head on Saturday.