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Los Pumas wings options have reached crisis Point days out from facing South Africa in the Rugby Championship. Head Coach Mario Ledesma has lost one of his three specialists to injury today with a covering option also ruled out of Saturday’s test match.
When 2018 kicked-off Los Jaguares’ had Joaquín Tuculet holding down the fullback position. With him out until 2019 Emiliano Boffelli moved from wing to the back, leaving Ramiro Moyano and rookies Sebastián Cancelliere and Bautista Delguy as the wingers for Super Rugby.
Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener had Boffelli training at fullback, Delguy on one wing and Moyano and Cancelliere the contenders for the other. Moyano’s involvement has been clouded following injury though he will be fit to play.
Cancelliere, meanwhile, is now out for three weeks. He sprained his right ankle in training today in Durban and has been ruled out of facing South Africa both in Durban and Mendoza. This sees Ledesma without a fit winger for the bench.
The absence of Cancelliere complicates Los Pumas’ preparations for the Springboks significantly. First choice Jaguares center Matías Orlando has not been training with the team this week and has been officially ruled out of playing. This has seen Matías Moroni training in the position.
With the roster in Durban is Juan Cruz Mallía. The utility back covers outside center and fullback though Ledesma has been training him as the understudy to Nicolás Sánchez. As such, Mallía was set to wear the 22 shirt on Saturday.
With no fit wingers Mallía is instead expected to wear 23 with veteran Santiago González Iglesias coming in to cover 10 and 12, wearing the 22 shirt. This will see Mallía covering wing and fullback in Durban.
The solution for Mendoza is for Moroni to make way for Orlando and him to either start on the wing or play as the replacement outside back.
Does Ledesma have alternative options? Within the roster no. The alternatives come in two forms – (a) selecting from Argentina, or (b) selecting from from abroad.
Realistically Ledesma has five players to consider – Manuel Montero (Pucará), Germán Schulz (Tala), Santiago Cordero (Exeter Chiefs), Juan Imhoff (Racing 92), Axel Muller (Brive).
Two are Argentine based and three play in Europe. Montero is the ready-made option based on him being immediately selectable. Montero played this past weekend for Pucará, scoring a try in his club’s win over San Luis.
Of the ‘Europeans’ Imhoff is the automatic first choice. Yet a call-up to a European-contracted player requires 14 days notification. As such Imhoff, and others are no chance of playing in Mendoza, let alone Durban.
