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After so much progress leading up to and surrounding the 2015 World Cup it’s clear that Argentine rugby has hit a sticking point. The quest for inclusion in the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby was a success, but how much has it paid off? Perhaps the most damaging decision was exclude European professionals from international consideration. It has turned the Pumas into a glorified club side, with their best players jaded and out of form.
Exiles aside, the selection policy of Daniel Hourcade has come under fire due with several young players in the Argentina XV unrewarded for top performances. His leadership has also been questioned with the team’s discipline severely lacking at times. Calls for Hourcade’s resignation have thus far come to nothing but if results are poor over the next three weeks his position may become untenable.
2017 FORM
It’s easy to say that the Pumas have had a forgettable year thus far. Only one win from nine tests is a bad return for any side. It must be noted, however, that eight of those matches were against teams in the top five of the World Rugby Rankings. England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia have all lifted the Webb Ellis Cup. They are by no means easy opponents.
That said Argentina cannot simply say they have been outplayed. They have also under-performed. Agustín Creevy remains a class player but one wonders if he might be more influential had he been rested for part of the Super Rugby season. Several players are in the same bin and there will be some rejoicing when the final whistle blows in Dublin on November 25.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
Three Six Nations opponents have been lined up for the end-of-year festivities. The Pumas enter ranked 10th on the World Rugby Rankings and will start their series against England, the 2nd highest team on the log. It’s a team they have already faced twice this year, both losses on Argentine soil. At Twickenham England will be an even bigger challenge.
A chance for victory will come in the second match when the Pumas meet 14th-ranked Italy, whom they have beaten in six consecutive meetings. Ireland at the Aviva Stadium are last. The No 4 ranked team have not faced Argentina since the RWC 2015 Quarter Final, a result they will be keen to reverse.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Just 18 months ago Marcos Kremer was an 18-year-old taking his first steps with the Argentina XV during the Americas Rugby Championship. Now he is a full-blown international who has started a test match against Australia. On Saturday he will run out at Twickenham. Kremer already has the physique to excel at this level and most importantly looks to have a winning mindset. Whatever happens over the next three weeks he will come out a better player.
Sebastián Cancelliere has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the hottest properties in Argentine rugby in a span of months. He tore up the ARC and has been a man-of-the-match contender in virtually every game he has appeared in this year. Hourcade will use him as an outside back at first but it’s at scrumhalf where he is most dangerous. A test start against Italy would be the icing on the cake for his superb season.
An obvious choice but one required nonetheless is Emiliano Boffelli. The 22-year-old has been nominated for the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award and for good reason having started eight matches in his first year of test rugby. Boffelli seems to have it all; size, speed, and loads of talent. He can score tries and kick long-range penalty goals. Expect him to feature for years to come.
WHO THEY ARE MISSING
Which of the European exiles would actually make a difference in the side is up for debate, but there is none when it comes to Facundo Isa. He has emerged as a genuinely world class ball carrier since the World Cup and would make an instant impression in the side. The good news is that it seems he will be eligible for RWC 2019, but until then the UAR is robbing rugby fans of seeing one of Argentina’s best players on the world stage in his prime.
Tomás Cubelli is easily the most notable injury absentee. It’s been a torrid year for the scrumhalf, who first suffered a knee injury while with the Brumbies and is now out with damage to his neck. In the meantime Martín Landajo has not been at his best without Cubelli nipping at his heels. Cancelliere and Gonzalo Bertranou are the next in line.
VERDICT
We will have a better sense of where the team is at mentally following Saturday’s match in London. For now a sense of trepidation is present. England and Ireland are likely to be negative results and even Italy have renewed confidence. Perhaps the golden lining for what looks like an exceedingly difficult series will be a shake-up of the status quo. For the moment Argentina looks very shaky indeed.
