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So profound has the impact of Argentine Loose Head props been that many until this day still believe that Argentina thrives in producing players in the position. At RWC 2015 Marcos Ayerza was among the best while in RWC 2007 and 2011 the same applies to Rodrigo Roncero.
The transition from Roncero to Ayerza was instantaneous. Both were elite performers, among the very best of their generation. This alone explains adequately why Los Pumas, in the eyes of many, have a reputation as being world class in the scrum.
A scrum is a team formation. It must function in unison and Argentina’s La Bajada is a genuine example of this. The beauty of an advancing Pumas scrum, ‘going low’ is greeted with applause and is also deeply feared. Argentina was able to perform as such in Mendoza with Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro joining Agustín Creevy, and Juan Figallo in the front-row.
Figallo was named the best Tight Head of RWC 2011. With him back this year Tetaz Chaparro moved to Loose Head. It acknowledged Argentina’s best Tight Head as not being a Jaguar and also reflected Argentina’s shortages at Loose Head.
Without Ayerza Argentina have not been the same. The team was strong against South Africa in Mendoza yet the Springboks changed their front-row altogether for their next match against Australia.
Argentina went from impressing in Mendoza to being shoved backwards in Nelson by New Zealand. Tetaz Chaparro was Tight Head with Santiago García Botta playing Loose Head. The All Blacks made light work of them, highlighting that Argentina’s ongoing search for a Loose Head is far from over.
Ayerza for Leicester and Roncero for Stade Français were constants. Today at Lucas Bath Noguera Paz does not command a starting position. Yet for Argentina he was Daniel Hourcade’s starting specialist Loose Head.
In place of the injured Noguera Paz in 2016 Hourcade started Santiago García Botta in June. It would not last with Tetaz Chaparro moving from Tight Head to Loose Head for Argentina’s second test following RWC 2019. This would continue for seven straight matches with Tetaz Chaparro and Ramiro Herrera starting together.
Injury to Tetaz Chaparro saw the returning Noguera Paz playing the final five tests of 2016, doing so with Herrera at Tight Head. In 2017 Herrera was out of favor with Enrique Pieretto instead starting for Argentina. He faced England and Georgia with Noguera Paz at Loose Head against England and Tetaz Chaparro starting against Georgia.
Tetaz Chaparro would go on to start all nine remaining test matches in 2017. He was Loose Head against South Africa with Pieretto playing Tight Head. For the remaining eight games Tetaz Chaparro was the starting Tight Head. Noguera Paz started five matches in the Rugby Championship and García Botta started the three November Internationals.
Hourcade’s final series of matches featured Tetaz Chaparro starting all three games in June 2018 at Tight Head. He was joined by García Botta against Wales while Jaguares’ rookie Javier Díaz starting against Scotland.
Díaz would injure himself playing Super Rugby against the Sharks in July. He joined Pieretto on the sidelines and Mario Ledesma’s first act as Head Coach was to look to Europe. Herrera and Figallo were identified, the latter joining Los Pumas and starting immediately.
Under Ledesma in the Rugby Championship Tetaz Chaparro has started three games at Loose Head and one at Tight Head. He is Argentina’s go-to man and this will likely continue as will Argentina ongoing search for a Loose Head. Meanwhile Argentina has the lowest winning percentage of scrums in the Rugby Championship.
| COUNTRY | SCRUMS WON |
| New Zealand | 100% |
| South Africa | 88% |
| Australia | 86% |
| Argentina | 75% |
In Europe Noguera Paz is the leading Argentine option. The next best would be Facundo Gigena, a player with Jaguares experience but one who is uncapped. Those to have had starts in the position for Argentina since Ayerza’s final cap are shown below.
| PLAYER | STARTING LOOSE HEAD 2016-2018 |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | 12 |
| Lucas Noguera Paz | 12 |
| Santiago García Bottta | 7 |
| Javier Díaz | 1 |
On the right side of the front-row it is a different picture. On Saturday Santiago Medrano became Ledesma’s third starting Tight Head in four matches. He was notably selected ahead of Leicester Tiger Gastón Cortés. Herrera was not available but Cortés was. His inclusion was, nonetheless, based on (a) the needs of the team and (b) his abilities.
Test starts for Argentina during the same period as the previous table are reflected below by listing players to have started at Tight Head.
| PLAYER | STARTING TIGHT HEAD 2016-2018 |
| Ramiro Herrera | 13 |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | 12 |
| Enrique Pieretto | 4 |
| Juan Figallo | 2 |
| Santiago Medrano | 1 |
Cortés joins not only Figallo and Herrera as Tight Head options for Argentina but also Francisco Gomez Kodela. This is notably more depth than that at Loose Head. Moreover Cristian Bartoloni, and Eduardo Bello are comparable to Gigena. Few caps at Tight Head are thereby the projected future for Tetaz Chaparro.
