RWC 2019 – The Competitors – Argentina

Los Pumas are a team that captures the imagination of audiences at Rugby World Cups. From one RWC to the next the South Americans have caught the imagination of neutral supporters at venues as well as millions viewing on TV.

For RWC 2019 Argentina is the Americas’ participant with the potential to go the furtherest. Having made the Semi Finals from two of the past three RWCs Los Pumas are an extremely reputable team. They are taken very seriously by all opponents and have demonstrated reasons over the past 12 months to make them formidable.

Having been pooled in the toughest group in RWC history makes Argentina’s assignment highly complicated though it also makes Pool C highly compelling.

 

WORLD CUP HISTORY

RWC	FINAL PLACING	RESULTS
1987	Group Stage	Won vs Italy Lost vs Fiji, New Zealand
1991	Group Stage	Lost vs Australia, Samoa, Wales
1995	Group Stage	Lost vs England, Italy, Samoa
1999	Quarter Finalist	Won vs Ireland, Japan, Samoa Lost vs France, Wales
2003	Group Stage	Won vs Namibia, Romania Lost vs Australia, Ireland
2007	Semi Finalist	Won vs France (2), Georgia, Ireland, Namibia, Scotland Lost vs South Africa
2011	Quarter Finalist	Won vs Georgia, Romania, Scotland Lost vs England, New Zealand
2015	Semi Finalist	Won vs Georgia, Ireland, Namibia, Tonga Lost vs Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

Overall Record: Played 37, Won 19, Lost 18

 

RWC 2019 SCHEDULE

Argentina has not struck it lucky with match placement. Los Pumas will, realistically, know whether they have made it out of the Pool of Death with one full week left to play in the group stage. With Argentina, England, and France in the same pool it means Argentina lucked out.

The positioning of England vs France on the final Saturday of pool play was strategic, not to disadvantage Los Pumas but to have the largest venue, Yokohama’s International Stadium host back-to-back matches to close-out the pool phase. Japan will face Scotland the day after England face France.

The positioning of matches means that Argentina will finish their pool games three days before England, and France. This means France have three additional match days and England two over Argentina.

In terms of distances to travel Argentina has an excellent venue list. In addition to playing twice at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium the South Americans also have one match in Kumagaya which is a part of the Greater Tokyo area. As such it is only to and from the game against Tonga in Osaka in which will require notable travel with it covering a distance of 500km.

DATE	OPPONENT	VENUE
Sat Sept 21	France	Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
Sat Sept 28	Tonga	Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka
Sat Oct 5	England	Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
Wed Oct 09	USA	Kumagaya Stadium, Kumagaya

PREDICTED TRAVELING 31

Forwards: Agustín Creevy (Jaguares), Julián Montoya (Jaguares), Santiago Socino (Jaguares), Juan Figallo (Saracens, UK), Ramiro Herrera (Stade Français, FR), Santiago Medrano (Jaguares), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (Jaguares), Mayco Vivas (Jaguares), Matías Alemanno (Jaguares), Lucas Paulos (Jaguares), Guido Petti (Jaguares), Tomás Lavanini (Leicester Tigers, UK), Facundo Isa (Toulon, FR), Marcos Kremer (Jaguares), Tomás Lezana (Jaguares), Pablo Matera (Stade Français, FR), Javier Ortega Desio (Jaguares)

Backs: Gonzalo Bertranou (Jaguares), Tomás Cubelli (Jaguares), Domingo Miotti (Jaguares), Nicolás Sánchez (Stade Français, FR), Benjamín Urdapilleta (Castres, FR), Juan Cruz Mallía (Jaguares), Jerónimo de la Fuente (Jaguares), Matías Moroni (Jaguares), Matías Orlando (Jaguares), Santiago Carreras (Jaguares), Santiago Cordero (Bordeaux, FR), Bautista Delguy (Jaguares), Ramiro Moyano (Jaguares), Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares)

PROJECTED MATCH-DAY LINEUP

1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy, 3 Juan Figallo, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Pablo Matera (capt.), 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Facundo Isa, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 13 Matías Orlando, 14 Santiago Cordero, 15 Emiliano Boffelli

Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Benjamín Urdapilleta, 23 Matías Moroni

Key Back: Emiliano Boffelli
Key Forward: Juan Figallo
Talisman: Pablo Matera

 

RWC 2019 PREVIEW

Argentina went through systematic transformation following RWC 2015. This saw Los Jaguares entering Super Rugby and a radical change to the selection process. In 2016-2017 Head Coach Daniel Hourcade did not select players based abroad.

While Argentina is now able to depend less on Europe now than in 2016-2017 the policy proved disastrous with Hourcade’s Pumas Tier 1 wins coming in the form of two wins against Italy, and one win against both France, and South Africa. Other victories were against Georgia, and Japan as the team were outclassed.

Hourcade’s position became untenable in June 2018 as Argentina were appalling against both Scotland, and Wales. He was quickly replaced by Jaguares Head Coach Mario Ledesma who had replaced Raúl Pérez and turned around the team that year. As the national Head Coach he took Argentina to two wins in the 2018 Rugby Championship, something never before achieved.

Ledesma also ended the policy of not selecting from abroad as he would use five players during the year. Combined with the productive Jaguares year under Gonzalo Quesada Argentina is well placed to compete notably better in Japan 2019 than during the 2016-2018 years.

Argentina are projected to make it out of Pool C alive. They are to do so by defeating France, Tonga, and the USA but losing against England. Such a set of outcomes would likely mean that Argentina finish in second position of their group. This would result in a Quarter Final against the Winner of Pool D with Australia presently projected to finish second and Wales first. This would be a winnable Quarter Final for the South Americans.

 

 

Week 1 – Italy
Week 2 – Fiji
Week 3 – Japan
Week 4 – England
Week 5 – Namibia
Week 6 – Wales
Week 7 – Samoa
Week 8 – France
Week 9 – South Africa
Week 10 – Georgia
Week 11 – Scotland
Week 12 – Tonga
Week 13 – New Zealand
Week 14 – Ireland
Week 15 – Australia
Week 16 – Russia
Week 17 – USA
Week 18 – Uruguay
Week 19 – Canada
Week 20 – Argentina