Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
2019 was a record-breaking year for Los Jaguares. The Argentine side reached the Super Rugby Final and would also record a sold out crowd for the first time.
Before the 2019 Super Rugby campaign had begun there was already notable changes. Center Jerónimo de la Fuente replaced flanker Pablo Matera as captain. The decision came from new Head Coach Gonzalo Quesada with Matera having signed for Stade Français following RWC 2019. Curiously Quesada coached Stade Français to Top 14 glory in 2015.
Quesada would have one official rugby warm-up match. It was away to Uruguay with Los Jaguars recording a 61-0 victory. It was a well-planned fixture by Quesada with rookies, and previously underused talent featuring heavily. They included four who, in particular would go on to be important names in 2019 – Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Juan Cruz Mallía, Lucas Paulos, and Mayco Vivas.
Round One / February 16: Jaguares vs Lions
Brief: An underwhelming opening to the season which saw the Lions not only winning but outscoring Los Jaguares by three tries to one.
Round Two / February 23: Jaguares vs Bulls
Brief: Los Jaguars claimed a bonus point home win in which wingers Ramiro Moyano, and Bautista Delguy were impressive. The match was alive as a contest until late tries saw Los Jaguares securing their first win of the campaign.
Round Three / March 02: Jaguares vs Blues
Brief: Captain Jerónimo de la Fuente was sidelined days before the match which saw Matías Orlando making his first professional appearance at inside center. It was a success and would change the plans for the remainder of the season. Orlando had a fine performance in the win with Moyano again playing well, this time scoring two tries.
Round Four / March 09: Lions vs Jaguares
Brief: Former captain Agustín Creevy would miss the first South African tour yet his replacements would score two tries. The issue against the Lions was that the defense was lackluster, enabling the Lions to take full advantage.
Round Five / March 15: Stormers vs Jaguares
Brief: A woeful second half performance from Los Jaguares them delivering their wort showing of 2019 The rotation which Quesada utilized on tour would have consequences for the remainder of the season. The match would also be a season ending injury for Bautista Delguy.
Round Six: Bye
Round Seven / March 30: Jaguares vs Chiefs
Brief: Having played well a late error would be decisive, costing Los Jaguares a home win over the Chiefs. It came from veteran Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias whose clearance clearance kick was charged down, giving the New Zealanders a a 5 meter scrum from which they would score to win the match.
Round Eight / April 06: Bulls vs Jaguares
Brief: González Iglesias would start at fly half for the only time in 2019. His replacement was debutant Domingo Miotti who inspired Los Jaguares to conquer Pretoria. Miotti came on in the 71st minute when the Bulls were leading 20-10. He changed the match by scoring two tries to see Los Jaguares to a come-from-behind victory.
Round Nine / April 13: Sharks vs Jaguares
Brief: Miotti started and delivered. With him at pivot Los Jaguares had an attacking edge which they had ben without in prior 2019 matches. The win marked back-to-back wins in South Africa and would be the start of Quesada’s impressive run to the Final. Against the Sharks Pablo Matera was a stand-out with two superb tries while Matías Orlando was even better, running in a hat-trick.
Round Ten: Bye
Round Eleven / April 27: Jaguares vs Brumbies
Brief: A third consecutive win from Los Jaguares saw the team beginning to receive attention from abroad. The result saw them up to 6th position in the Super Rugby standings. It was not easy as it took a hard-fought 20-15 victory.
Round Twelve / May 04: Jaguares vs Stormers
Brief: 30 minutes before kick-off captain Jerónimo de La Fuente was forced out. This saw Matías Orlando moving to inside center; Matías Moroni to outside center; and Sebastián Cancelliere elevated from the bench to play on the right wing. The reshuffle would not have a notable impact as Los Jaguares were able to deliver the result, and with it claim their fourth straight win.
Round Thirteen / May 11: Highlanders vs Jaguares
Brief: The third of what would be eleven straight matches without a bye saw Quesada rotating heavily. It was the first match of four in Oceania and Quesada made sure that his players would be able to perform for the duration of the season. The win was within Los Jaguares’ grasps but constant penalties from local referee Paul O’Keefe in the final quarter complicated the task.
Round Fourteen / May 17: Hurricanes vs Jaguares
Brief: A historic win over the Hurricanes saw Los Jaguares moving to top spot of the South African conference. A controlled display from the Argentine side saw the favored home team outperformed. Hookers Agustín Creevy, and Julián Montoya both scored, with the latter going over for the deciding try.
Round Fifteen / May 25: Waratahs vs Jaguares
Brief: A double from Ramiro Moyano saw Los Jaguares defeating the Waratahs in Sydney. The result would continue the Argentine side’s phenomenal record in Australia of winning every Super Rugby match. Yet it was not taken well by former Wallaby Phil Kearns who would subsequently be slammed on social media, and by other ex-players for his comments concerning Los Jaguares in the competition.
Round Sixteen / June 01: Reds vs Jaguares
Brief: A double from rookie Santiago Carreras, in addition to tries from Felipe Ezcurra, Julián Montoya, and Marcos Kremer saw the Argentine side move to a commanding lead in the South African conference. In addition to Carreras’ match-winning try a lasting moment was Kremer’s bulldozing run over Seru Kerevi to score.
Round Seventeen / June 08: Jaguares vs Sharks
Brief: Back from Oceania Los Jaguares needed one more win to confirm a home play-off and victory in the South African conference. They would succeed in doing so against the Sharks, whom they comprehensively defeated. The back-three scored all of the tries with Sebastián Cancelliere, and Emiliano Boffelli both scoring double. Rookie Santiago Carreras continued to show his potential with one of his own.
Round Eighteen / June 14: Jaguares vs Sunwolves
Brief: The final match of the regular season saw heavy rotation with players needing to rest following high demand and there also being named who had played little rugby under Quesada in 2019. Only four of the starters against the Sunwolves would also start the Semi Final or Final. The Japanese side would score two tries while Los Jaguares would have fun in ending their regular season as they ran in eight.
Quarter Final / June 21: Jaguares vs Chiefs
Brief: Magnificent defense from Los Jaguares saw the team coming back from a deficit to defeat the Chiefs in a tightly-fought contest resembling a test match. The home Quarter Final victory set-up a home Semi Final against the Brumbies.
SemiFinal / June 28: Jaguares vs Brumbies
Brief: Los Jaguares wrote their name in history by thoroughly outplaying the Brumbies to book their place in the Super Rugby Final. The forwards were in command with Tomás Lavanini, and Pablo Matera making sure their final matches at home as Jaguares were memorable. Matías Orlando scored a double in what was a man of the match performance.
Final / July 06: Crusaders vs Jaguares
Brief: It was not the final that Los Jaguares were seeking. A low-scoring match saw the Crusaders scoring the only try to defend their title, and win their 10th Super Rugby crown overall. Despite being on the losing side Pablo Matera was the man of the match, delivering one of the best performances in Super Rugby history.
