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A PladAR success story is now Los Jaguares’ captain. Confirmation out of Argentina is that the national Super Rugby franchise will not be captained by Joaquín Tuculet but, rather, by Pablo Matera.
The 24-year-old Matera officially replaced Agustín Creevy as the Jaguares captain today. The change enables Creevy to focus on leading Los Pumas while also enabling improved player management to that of 2017.
Mario Ledesma chose Matera as the captain and also appointed Tuculet and Tomás Lezana as his deputies. Officially the fullback and flanker are to be co-captains.
Matera’s rise to Jaguares’ captaincy saw him go through the PladAR system. The national High Performance set-up had Matera quickly identified. The Alumni player was a Pumita and involved in the Pampas XV prior to making his test debut against Chile at the age of 19.
A month after his 20th birthday he was starting against South Africa in the Rugby Championship in 2013. Remaining a permanent feature in Los Pumas, Matera has now amassed 46 caps.
His first professional contract was in England. He moved to the Leicester Tigers in 2013 before returning to Argentina to prepare for Super Rugby in 2015. With Los Jaguares he has made 22 appearances this far.
