Attention Returns to Jaguares

With the completion of the June Internationals, Argentine attention returns to Los Jaguares. The Buenos Aires based Super Rugby franchise will play at home next Friday. The fixture is to be against the Kings, a dead rubber for the Jaguares given their run of losses prior to pausing for June’s test matches.

Los Jaguares’ home fixture against the Kings will see a trading of uniforms. The same players to have been involved for Los Pumas this month will now be back playing as Jaguares. This very fact brings with it the balancing of the needs of the two teams.

Los Pumas are fed by Los Jaguares who are a side competing in Super Rugby with the purpose of bringing with them an advanced level of play to the international game. This month Argentina had three matches for a 1-2 return. Losses against England in San Juan and Santa Fé underlined the mammoth task of permanently being competitive.

Saturday’s win over Georgia in Jujuy gave coaches, players and fans a sigh of relief. Having lost to an English side missing players to British & Irish Lions duty a win was desperately needed. Los Pumas’ spirits were badly wounded by the series loss to England, and today they are smiling but with caution.

Make no mistake, Argentina won. Wins merit celebrations yet certain aspects of Argentina’s play was extremely concerning. The glorious Pumas scrum was nowhere to be seen. Instead the Lelos gave Argentina a hard lesson, schooling the South Americans at their own game.

The maul area was also not a strength of Los Pumas in Jujuy. To the contrary, Georgia succeeded in scoring from a rolling-maul. With England also having done so in Santa Fé it is an area of play which Argentina has clearly gone from excelling in to now being flawed in.

Next up for Los Pumas is facing South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The August 19 fixture will be followed by the return fixture in Salta seven days later. The target of Daniel Hourcade and co will be two victories. In order to make them reachable they must act now.

Due to the demands on the players expect the upcoming Super Rugby matches to see depleted sides involved. Matías Alemanno, Agustín Creevy, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Pablo Matera, Matías Orlando, Nicolás Sánchez and Joaquin Tuculet have played heavily already this year. Such players are not likely to face the Kings on Friday.

Factor in those to have missed action through injury too. For instance Martín Landajo, Tomás Lavanini and Juan Manuel Leguizamón. What is best for their management ahead of the Rugby Championship?

Or those who missed June – should wingers Santiago Cordero and Manuel Montero face the Kings? Should Cordero move to fullback to aid Tuculet’s recovery? What about Emiliano Boffelli playing at the back? Moreover why did Germán Schulz earn his first cap vs Georgia when Bautista Ezcurra has been heavily involved for Los Jaguares this year? Similarly why does Santiago Alvarez have a Super Rugby contract but no appearances?

Such questions rest on the shoulders of not only Hourcade but also Aspirina Pérez. Hourcade’s lineup for Port Elizabeth is relatively clear. In the backs Landajo and Sánchez will be the halves, De la Fuente and Orlando the centers and Tuculet the fullback. Wing is less certain, hence the importance on what to do with Cordero and Montero.

In the forwards Creevy and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro are nailed down for hooker and Loose Head prop. The Tight Head spot is being fought-over by Ramiro Herrera and Enrique Pieretto. Second-row in 2017 sees weight over mobility, thus Lavanini and Alemanno as the preferred option. Hourcade’s flankers are highly likely to be Matera and Javier Ortega Desio with Leonardo Senatore playing No 8.

The Jaguares starting lineup to face the Kings on June 30 ought to reflect the above. The same holds true for the July 08 and 14 matches in Australia against the Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels. Interaction between Hourcade and Pérez will certainly feature highly to sure priorities are upheld.

POTENTIAL JAGUARES VS KINGS
1 Santiago García Botta, 2 Julián Montoya, 3 Felipe Arregui, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Marcos Kremer, 6 Rodrigo Báez, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 8 Benjamín Macome, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 12 Juan Martín Hernández, 13 Matías Moroni, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 15 Emiliano Boffelli

Replacements: 16 Roberto Tejerizo, 17 Lucas Noguera Paz, 18 Ramiro Herrera, 19 Ignacio Larrague, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Santiago Cordero