Doubts over Jaguares Backs as Ascárate and Creevy arrive

Tucumán mid-fielder Gabriel Ascárate and Jaguares captain Agustín Creevy are the changes to Los Jaguares roster preparing to face the Kings in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Ascárate has joined as a replacement for winger Lucas González Amorosino who was injured playing against the Lions on Saturday. González Amorosino suffered a dislocated acromioclavicular in Saturday’s loss in Johannesburg.

Having been taken down and held to the floor the incident was referred to the TMO by South African referee Stuart Berry who recommended against the use of a yellow card against the Lions offender.

Without González Amorosino the Jaguares outside back options are extremely thin. Not available is Manuel Montero due to injury while Santiago Cordero and Matías Moroni are missing due to international duty with Los Pumas 7’s.

Not a winger, the former Glasgow Warrior offers much needed strengthening to the centers. Moroni’s loss is compounded by injury to Jerónimo De la Fuente and the below par performances of Matías Orlando in the mid-field.

Also in doubt is inside center as Juan Martín Hernández was absent from training this morning in Johannesburg. González Iglesias and Ascárate are the options to start in his place at 12 if required.

The pieces of the puzzle will be critically analyzed today and tomorrow by Raúl Pérez. The Head Coach is well and truly stretched at present due to the above mentioned missing wing options. This leaves him with Matías Orlando, Emiliano Boffelli, Segundo Tuculet and fullback Ramiro Moyano Joya as the four options.

Orlando’s opportunities in Super Rugby on the wing came through rotation and for Los Pumas despite having earned 10 test caps none have been for the senior Pumas squad. Moyano’s six caps have come against Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. This leaves the youth of Boffelli and Segundo Tuculet who both uncapped.

In the forwards the options are vast. Missing to suspension is Leonardo Senatore and out through injury are Lucas Noguera Paz, Juan Cruz Guillemáin and Rodrigo Báez. Their losses are more than covered though alternative options.

Creevy’s return should add the much needed authority which was badly missed against the Lions. In trained this morning as the starting hooker, doing so with Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and the uncapped 21 year old Facundo Gigena as his front-row partners.

As expected Matías Alemanno made way for Guido Petti in training this morning. The Córdoba second-rower was off his game against the Lions – an unfortunate fact given the tremendous performance from Tomás Lavanini.

Petti and Lavanini locked the scrum this morning. They were joined by the experience of Juan Manuel Leguziamón and In doing so it was a back-rower made up entirely of players from Santiago del Estero’s Lawn Tennis Club.

The trio all deserve they places. Indeed Javier Desio Ortega was always going to be dropped after not performing against the Lions. Coupled with the injury cloud over Pablo Matera the Santiago del Estero trio makes perfect sense.

Without Hernández today it was González Iglesias who played at inside center. He was joined by Segundo Tuculet in the mid-field with Orlando pushed out to train on the right wing. Joaquín Tuculet remained at fullback with Moyano on the left wing. Halves Martín Landajo and Nicolás Sánchez retained their spots.

With this now likely to be the starting formation against the Kings Pérez will be making nine changes – an extraordinarily high figure. The policy has held back the progress of Los Jaguares as a unit, clearly costing them potential wins. It has, nonetheless, achieved the declared objective of having many more options for Los Pumas.