The Injured Jaguares

Los Jaguares are to play their first warm-up match of 2018 tomorrow. In Buenos Aires the national Super Rugby franchise will take-on the Argentina XV. The fixture serves the needs of both teams. It does, however, come at a time in which the number of injured Jaguares is notable.

Head Coach Mario Ledesma officially wants all of his roster members to be 100% fit for the start of the Super Rugby season. For this reason the line-up that has been preparing to face the Argentina XV tomorrow has included some surprises.

Missing from the Argentina XV fixture are players missing to both short-term and long-term injuries. Those requiring a longer recovery include scrum-half Tomás Cubelli and outside center Matías Moroni. Neither player is to be declared fit for the start of the season next month. Enrique Pieretto has undergone surgery and will not play at all this season.

Additional players unable to play this weekend include inside center Jerónimo de la Fuente and props Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and Franco Brarda. Of the trio de la Fuente and Tetaz Chaparro are both under full Jaguares contracts. Both players are expected to be declared fit in two weeks time.

With the team set to play a warm-up match in South Africa on February 10 there are doubts over the availability of the injured Jaguares. The fixture against the Bulls will take place a week prior to the season opener against the Stormers in Cape Town on February 17.

To prepare for the match against the Bulls, Los Jaguares are to depart Argentina on February 06. The potential of Ledesma fielding players currently not at 100% is therefore debatable.