Who the Pumas should pick for the Rugby Championship

The Super Rugby season will end for Los Jaguares this Saturday. For this reason Tomás Cubelli is to be the only Puma involved in the playoffs. His successful campaign with the Brumbies will ensure his name is on Daniel Hourcade’s list for the Rugby Championship.

The naming of the list is rapidly approaching. Few surprises are expected. Hourcade is highly unlikely to read out a roster of players contracted to Racing 92, Saracens or the Leicester Tigers. To the contrary his squad is to be one centered on that of Los Jaguares.

Rather than boosting the roster with European based players Hourcade will be looking to blood players from Los Pumitas. The number of such players is the only real question. Such is his commitment to those at home that suggesting that there are to be some eyebrows raised is an understatement.

Before I list those whom appear probable to be selected I will list my selection of the strongest possible side. Doing so would involve selecting some whom Hourcade is certain to avoid.

 

POSITION	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	Union
Hooker	Agustín Creevy	31	Jaguares	UAR
Hooker	Julián Montoya	22	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Marcos Ayerza	33	Leicester	RFU
Prop	Juan Figallo	28	Saracens	RFU
Prop	Ramiro Herrera	27	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Lucas Noguera Paz	22	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro	26	Jaguares	UAR
Second Row	Manuel Carizza	31	Racing 92	FFR
Second Row	Mariano Galarza	29	Gloucester	RFU
Second Row	Tomás Lavanini	23	Jaguares	UAR
Second Row	Guido Petti	21	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Marcos Kremer	18	Pumitas	UAR
Flanker	Tomás Lezana	22	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe	34	Toulon	FFR
Flanker	Pablo Matera	22	Jaguares	UAR
No8	Facundo Isa	22	Jaguares	UAR
No8	Juan Manuel Leguizamón	33	Jaguares	UAR
Scrumhalf	Tomás Cubelli	27	Brumbies	ARU
Scrumhalf	Martín Landajo	28	Jaguares	UAR
Flyhalf	Patricio Fernández	21	Clermont	FFR
Flyhalf	Nicolás Sánchez	27	Jaguares	UAR
Inside Center	Jerónimo de la Fuente	25	Jaguares	UAR
Inside Center	Juan Martín Hernández	33	Jaguares	UAR
Outside Center	Marcelo Bosch	32	Saracens	RFU
Outside Center	Matías Moroni	25	Jaguares	UAR
Wing	Santiago Cordero	22	Jaguares	UAR
Wing	Juan Imhoff	28	Racing 92	FFR
Wing	Manuel Montero	24	Jaguares	UAR
Fullback	Bautista Delguy	19	Pumitas	UAR
Fullback	Joaquín Tuculet	26	Jaguares	UAR

Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe has officially hung up his boots. Never again will he wear the celeste y blanco. That said the form he produced for Toulon in the 2015-2016 season was top shelf. I would find a way of talking him into playing. Warren Gatland did the same thing with Martyn Williams in 2008.

Following Wales’ early exit from Rugby World Cup 2007 Williams retired. Incoming coach Gatland then convinced him to play on and he ended up playing some of his best rugby in 2008 and 2009. He would even start against Argentina in 2011 and play his final test in 2012.

Manuel Carizza is another veteran to be out of the picture but he has not retired. Both he and Mariano Galarza performed well this past season. They have the necessary experience in what is a critical position for Argentina. The Jaguares lineout woes when playing without Tomás Lavanini and Guido Petti are well documented.

Carizza and Galarza would add to this department and around the field both are excellent athletes. Aside from an accident which saw Galarza suspended both players also have solid discipline records. This makes them highly useful at the present point in time. 2016 is too early to discard them.

Hourcade, though, will only select either based on a disaster. This is not the case at loosehead prop. Instead it is just a question of time before sense prevails and Marcos Ayerza joins the roster. The exceptional circumstances clause will come in to play. Juan Figallo is another who, based in ability, ought to be playing in the Rugby Championship.

Juan Imhoff and Marcelo Bosch are both coming off superb seasons in Europe. Imhoff joined Carizza in winning the Top 14 while Bosch joined Juan Figallo in winning the Aviva Premiership. Moreover they are considered by most neutrals as being Argentina’s best backs.

Aside from unavailability there are also some out through injury. The uncapped Emiliano Boffelli would be selected if fit. His Jaguares teammate, Lucas Noguera Paz will be fit for the Rugby Championship and continues to be the understudy to Ayerza.

Another who will be back is Leonardo Senatore. His suspension will be completed over a month before the Rugby Championship starts. He had a solid season for Los Jaguares and was even better at the Rugby World Cup. I would prefer to leave him out though. Either he or Juan Manuel Leguizamón would be a casualty.

Leguizamón continues to be a workhorse but is highly unlikely to get a start. As such it is perhaps best for him to join later if required. I would, nonetheless, pick him as backup to Isa with Senatore being the one to miss out.

Flanker Tomás Lezana is ready now while, despite his age, Marcos Kremer has demonstrated the means to step up. This further simplifies the decision to pick Leguizamón as a no8. Javier Ortega Desio would miss out on my squad based on his Super Rugby performances.

Hourcade’s roster will have many of those listed above. Shown below is what I expect him to select. Of note is Ramiro Moyano at fullback. With limited opportunities I would leave him out and call in Bautista Delguy today. His potential will see him a Puma in quick time. I do not expect center Matías Orlando to be as fortunate. Instead I predict Hourcade to either blood a Pumita or select from the Argentina XV.

POSITIONS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	UNION
Hooker	Agustín Creevy	31	Jaguares	UAR
Hooker	Julián Montoya	22	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Santiago García Botta	24	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Ramiro Herrera	27	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Lucas Noguera Paz	22	Jaguares	UAR
Prop	Lucas Martínez	26	Lomas	UAR
Prop	Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro	26	Jaguares	UAR
Second Row	Matías Alemanno	24	Jaguares	UAR
Second Row	Ignacio Larrague	20	CASI	UAR
Second Row	Tomás Lavanini	23	Jaguares	UAR
Second Row	Guido Petti	21	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Juan Manuel Leguizamón	33	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Tomás Lezana	22	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Pablo Matera	22	Jaguares	UAR
Flanker	Javier Ortega Desio	26	Jaguares	UAR
No8	Facundo Isa	22	Jaguares	UAR
No8	Leonardo Senatore	32	Jaguares	UAR
Scrumhalf	Tomás Cubelli	27	Brumbies	ARU
Scrumhalf	Martín Landajo	28	Jaguares	UAR
Flyhalf	Santiago González Iglesias	28	Jaguares	UAR
Flyhalf	Nicolás Sánchez	27	Jaguares	UAR
Inside Center	Jerónimo de la Fuente	25	Jaguares	UAR
Inside Center	Juan Martín Hernández	33	Jaguares	UAR
Outside Center	Juan Cruz Mallía	19	Pumitas	UAR
Outside Center	Matías Moroni	25	Jaguares	UAR
Wing	Santiago Cordero	22	Jaguares	UAR
Wing	Lucas González Amorosino	30	Jaguares	UAR
Wing	Manuel Montero	24	Jaguares	UAR
Fullback	Ramiro Moyano	26	Jaguares	UAR
Fullback	Joaquín Tuculet	26	Jaguares	UAR