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The Career of Juan Martín Hernández has come to an end. It has left a legacy which will be clear for generations to come. The ability and playing style of El Mago placed him among the Great Pumas. Yet off the field he was a humble man, one underlining rugby’s place as a Gentleman’s sport in his home country.
Hernández played 74 tests for Argentina. As impressive as the number is it is a shadow of what it could well have been. A combination of injuries and Argentina lacking regular annual competition until 2012 mean caps were often limited to five per year.
Part of the Hernández legacy will indeed be his direct involvement in the changing worlds of Argentine rugby. He went through the lows of 2003 to the highs of 2007 and 2015 for his country.
In doing so he performed with prestige. One example of this is Allblacks.com tribute to his retirement in saying he is the player closest to Hugo Porta in challenging for the title of greatest Puma.
His name is one which deserves to be in the conversation for a place in Argentina’s ‘Dream Team’ in multiple positions. He was that good of a player. In addition to challenging Porta for fly half there would be a debate over him against Ignacio Corleto and Santiago Mesón for fullback and the likes of Diego Cuesta Silva and Felipe Contepomi for inside center.
Stage 1 – The Beginning in 2003
Following u19 and u21 duties Hernández debuted for Argentina in April 2003. As was the norm in those days it was against South American opposition. His debut was at fullback and saw him crossing for a try against Paraguay.
His trajectory to the top was immediate. Two months later he was starting against France and South Africa. He was selected for RWC 2003 and would feature in three matches, notably scoring twice against Romania in Sydney.
He had earned his ninth cap against Romania with his tenth coming against France in Marseilles in November 2004. The 24-14 win saw Agustín Pichot famously telling ‘the world to take notice’. Hernández was fullback and was a professional having joined Stade Français in late 2003.
He would become a French Champion in 2004 and star in guiding the club to the Top 14 title in 2007. His performance in the 2017 Final was an indication of what was to follow at the RWC.
At RWC 2007 Hernández played fly half. A common misconception is that Argentina moved him to fly half at RWC 2007 itself. In actuality there was a first half injury to Federico Todeschini against France which saw Hernández moving from fullback to fly half against France in November 2016.
Hernández as a Pumas 10 was thereby born 10 months before the RWC. He would play 10 for Los Pumas vs Leicester and the French Barbarians in February 2007.
Meanwhile in Stade Français he also moved from fullback to fly half. This was despite him being named the world’s best fullback in 2006 by L’Equipe. His transition was so successful that he was named Player of the Year in the Top 14 by Midi Olympique in 2007.
He had reached a point in his career that those who watched him play ranked him among the best. His attack and precision were commonly noted while his defense had also been underscored. The Leicester Tigers’ colossal winger Alesana Tuilagi would be stopped in a famous tackle.
Stage 2 – The World Takes Notice in 2007
Prior to the RWC France had taken notice of Hernández. After the tournament his abilities were recognized throughout the rugby world.
Hernández was instrumental in wins over Argentina’s path to the Bronze Medal. He impressed in the battle for third itself but was also tremendous against both Ireland and Scotland.
His efforts not only received warm praise but so did Argentina’s desire for a place in a Tier 1 tournament. Pichot’s request would be attended to with Argentina finally able to join the former Tri Nations in 2012.
The years between 2007 and 2012 featured both highs and lows for Hernández and Argentina. Los Pumas saw numerous retirements with Hernández quickly becoming a senior back. He continued at fly half and would take Argentina to an important home win over England in 2009.
The match would be his last for Argentina for three years. His return would be in Argentina’s Rugby Championship debut, away to South Africa in Cape Town in 2012.
Stage 3 – Pumas into the Final Frontier
A matured Hernández would play for the Natal Sharks in South Africa and subsequently both Racing 92 and Toulon in France. While he was older and played with more control he continued to look to surprise the opposition.
This was evident in November 2014 when Hernández played a test in France for the final time. He did so at inside center. Argentina’s 18-13 win saw Hernández constantly looking for ways to surprise the defense.
He would join Toulon shortly after and his time would be memorable as he went on to win the Champions Cup. A rare start at fly half followed, this time for Argentina, and it resulted in Los Pumas making history by defeating South Africa in Durban.
With the RWC just around the corner the win saw Argentina go into the tournament with newfound respect. In the opening match Hernández demonstrated his class against New Zealand. He would also impress against Georgia, Namibia, and Ireland. His try against the Africans would be his last in a RWC match.
Professionalism was born in Argentina in 2016 and Hernández was a part of it. Having missed out on playing for the Sharks though injury it was a second chance in Super Rugby. 2018 saw him playing for a third season but a sudden end has arrived, depriving him, and supporters of more matches.
It has now ended prematurely though his career has been extremely note worthy. Two RWC Semi Finals and both French and European club titles make him a cut-above. A career up there with the very best.
