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The 2018 Super Rugby season continues. On Friday Los Jaguares host the Sharks in a vital match with an eye to the play-off’s. The Argentine side have 29 competition points, one more than the Sharks.
Los Jaguares Had Coach Mario Ledesma has made just the one change from last Saturday’s match. The change comes on the left wing with Ramiro Moyano returning to take over from Sebastián Cancelliere.
The move sees Cancelliere dropping out of the match day 23 altogether. The replacement outside back selected is Juan Cruz Mallía, an uncapped player but a former leader of Los Pumitas. Mallía’s inclusion comes despite Matías Moroni now being fit again. It means Moroni will have played no Super rugby at all this year before the June Internationals.
On the bench Ledesma has made one further alteration. It comes in the loose forwards with one veteran making way for another. Leonardo Senatore drops out of the roster with Juan Manuel Leguizamón named to cover Javier Ortega Desio, Marcos Kremer and captain Tomás Lezana.
The Sharks are also coming off a win and with it Head Coach Robert du Preez has named an unchanged line-up. Ruan Botha will captain the Sharks from the second-row and be joined by a number of Springboks. They include Lukhanyo Am, Curwin Bosch, Daniel du Preez, Jean-Luc du Preez, Tendai Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, and Louis Schreuder.
The match has a number of key individual battles. Both Emiliano Boffelli and Curwin Bosch have been stand-out’s this season. They face-off at fullback. On one wing two finishers of note will oppose one another in the form of Bautista Delguy and Lwazi Mvovo.
But this match is going to be more about the forwards than anything else. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro vs Tendai Mtawarira is a regular match-up in the Rugby Championship but the battle of note in this game is Marcos Kremer vs Jean-Luc du Preez. Both players are ferocious defenders and renowned ball-carriers in addition to being constantly in the loose.
Friday’s match marks the fifth time Los Jaguares and the Sharks will meet in Super Rugby. The Sharks have won every time to date, winning 19–15 in Durban and 25-22 in Buenos Aires in 2016. In 2017 they met in the same venues with the Sharks winning 18-13 at home and then 33-25 on the road.
On all occasions Los Jaguares could have won yet fell short. The odds for Friday point in another direction. With wins over the Rebels and Brumbies in Australia, the Blues and the Chiefs in New Zealand and the Bulls last weekend Los Jaguares have won 5 in-a-row. Their win last Saturday makes them a form side in the competition and they go into Friday’s game as favorites to win.
JAGUARES
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Baustista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Tomás Lezana (capt.), 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Santiago García Botta
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Javier Díaz, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallía
SHARKS
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Sibusiso Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (capt.), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Jacques Vermeulen, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi
Date: Friday May 25
Kick-off: 4:40pm (Argentina)
Venue: Estadio Vélez Sarsfield
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: José Covassi (Argentina), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)
