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With the June Internationals having been completed it is an immediate return to Super Rugby. This Saturday in Buenos Aires sees Los Jaguares hosting the Stormers in a match they are expected to win as they push towards the play-off’s.
On current standings Los Jaguares are second in the African Conference behind the Lions. With 34 competition points the Argentine side is presently inline to make the play-off’s. The Lions have 40 points while the Stormers are 4th in Africa with 25.
For Los Jaguares the Stormers marks the final home match in 2018. Their two remaining Super Rugby matches will be away to the Bulls and Sharks in South Africa.
Mario Ledesma has named the strongest possible team. Missing to injury is Marcos Kremer. His spot on the flank has gone to Tomás Lezana who joins Javier Ortega Desio and captain Pablo Matera in the back-row. Matera is the one change from the side which started the previous match, facing the Sharks.
For Matera the match is to be his first since facing the Brumbies. The Jaguares captain was injured in what was game two of the tour to Oceania. Joaquín Tuculet replaced him as captain only to be injured in New Zealand.
While the starting line-up has just the one change there is movement among the replacements. Hooker Julian Montoya has failed to recover from Argentina’s loss against Scotland in Resistencia. His spot has gone to Diego Fortuny who will make his Super Rugby debut should he receive game time.
Included for the first time in 2018 is Matías Moroni. Both he and Joaquín Díaz Bonilla will have opportunities from the bench. The latter has played just 11 minutes thus far under Ledesma.
The Stormers have a large list of missing players. They are Juarno Augustus, Jaco Coetzee, Dan du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, SP Marais, Scarra Ntubeni, Sergeal Petersen, JD Schickerling, Seabelo Senatla, Chris van Zyl, Jano Vermaak, and Damian Willemse.
Head Coach Robbie Fleck has named Jean-Luc du Plessis at fly half for the match, filling-in for Damian Willemse. Despite the absentees there are still a host of Springboks set to start for the Stormers. Included are centers Damian de Allende and JJ Engelbrecht, winger Raymond Rhule, prop Steven Kitshoff, hooker Bongi Mbonambi and flankers Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi.
Kolisi captains the team, doing so weeks after becoming the first black captain of South Africa. His side is the former home of RWC 2011 Puma Manuel Carizza.
Los Jaguares have played the Stormers on three prior occasions in Super Rugby. All three matches have seen the Stormers claiming victory. The first match was a low scoring 13-8 match in Buenos Aires in 2016. The two other matches were both in Cape Town with the Stormers winning 32-25 in round two of 2017 and 28-20 in round one of 2018.
Prior results and the form of Los Pumas in June would suggest that Los Jaguares are in for a loss this weekend. Yet the same players have impressed in Super Rugby this year under Mario Ledesma. With Ledesma getting the team to go forward, as opposed to Daniel Hourcade’s sideways strategy, the team has achieved results. Los Jaguares enter Saturday’s match as favorites to win by 6 points.
JAGUARES
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Pablo Matera (capt.), 6 Tomás Lezana, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Santiago García Botta
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Javier Díaz, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Matías Moroni
STORMERS
15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Craig Barry, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (Capt.), 5 Jan de Klerk, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 JC Janse van Rensberg, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Kobus van Dyk, 22 Justin Phillips, 23 EW Viljoen
Date: Saturday June 30
Kick-off: 2:40pm
Venue: Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Pablo Deluca (Argentina), José Covasi (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)
