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In a special edition of Up and Under, ARN looks at the Pumas at the start of the World Cup year. As is the norm of Up and Under, the article covers the best and worst; however, this edition looks at Argentine players in the test arena and how they have been performing during the current season.
UP
Captain and Support in Force at Hooker
Julián Montoya led Argentina well in 2022 and he was Leicester Tigers player of the year. The picture is clearing as to who will play under him. Ignacio Ruiz took his chance well to be the understudy in November and is now playing for London Irish. He is well-placed to have a highly successful 2023. Santiago Socino had limited opportunities for Los Pumas in 2022 but his form for Gloucester cannot be overlooked. He starts 2023 well-placed.
Both Sides More than Covered
Thomas Gallo is among the leading ball-carrying props in rugby. He excelled in the URC in 2022 and also for Los Pumas. He overtook Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro with the latter now bing the understudy. Mayco Vivas is third in line and looked good when he played for Los Pumas in 2022. His Gloucester debut is imminent. Veteran Francisco Gómez Kodela ended 2022 as Argentina’s top tight head. He continues to perform for Lyon. Joel Sclavi came along way in 2o22 for both La Rochelle and Los Pumas. Eduardo Bello went from Zebre to Saracens and proved himself against the very best in his bench performance in beating New Zealand.
Less is More in the Second-Row
The unwritten law is that four players per World Cup roster are second-rowers. Argentina went for three in the Rugby Championship. Tomás Lavanini, and Matías Alemanno, were the starting names and this continued in November. The former ought to be commended for having worked on his discipline. He has played very well for Clermont as has Alemanno for Gloucester. Lucas Paulos has quietly developed for Brive and has a place as one of Argentina’s RWC locks within his sights.
Back-Rowers Cut Above the Rest
2022 saw four players become the clear men that the coaches view as Argentina’s 6, 7, 8 and 20. 22-year-old Juan Martín González had an excellent rookie season for London Irish and was among the best flankers in the Rugby Championship. Pablo Matera moved from flanker to N8 permanently and looks the part. He was excellent for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and has started well in Japan. Marcos Kremer ended 2022 injured. Few men in rugby have the command of Kremer as a tackler. Facundo Isa join the trio as the benchman. He followed a strong 2022 with Argentina by continuing to play very well for Toulon.
Scrum-Half Changes Underway
Eliseo Morales and Lautaro Bazán Vélez made their test debuts in 2022. They add to options with Gonzalo Bertranou now the first-choice scrum-half ahead of veteran Tomás Cubelli. The extension of RWC rosters from 31 to 33 players implies that three scrum-halves will make the roster. The changes in 2022 have Los Pumas well-prepared for what lies ahead.
Pivot Marker Set Loud and Clear
Santiago Carreras is Argentina’s first choice fly half. He started all but one test match in the position in 2022. He played two matches in late 2022 for Gloucester in the position. More is to follow. Tomás Albornoz debuted as a longterm option in 2022. His performances in the URC make him a player to be categorized as favored over veterans. The uncapped Gerónimo Prisciantelli has impressed for Zebre and is now a Pumas RWC possibility.
Old Guard Stands Firm at Center
2022 saw Matías Moroni, Matías Orlando, and Jerónimo de la Fuente all play well for Argentina. Moroni came back from being named on the Argentina XV roster to having an excellent year. He was an English champion with the Leicester Tigers and has impressed since joining Newcastle. Orlando has proven a 12 option for both Newcastle and Los Pumas while de la Fuente is highly consistent for Perpignan.
Complete Arsenal at Wing
Big calls will be made at wing. Depending on how one interprets Cheika’s selections in 2022, the decisions have already been made. His three wingers of choice are Emiliano Boffelli, Mateo Carreras, and Bautista Delguy. All three played very well for Argentina and are important for their repective teams in Scotland, England and France.
Córdoba in control at fullback
In addition to moving Santiago Carreras to fly half and Emiliano Boffelli to the wing another positional switch saw Juan Cruz Mallía moving from center to fullback. The Córdoba man who plays for Toulouse has excellent in the position for Los Pumas. His counter-attacking produced tries in 2022. The uncapped Martín Bogado moves from Bayonne to the Highlanders as a player who could break into the roster in time for France 2023.
UNDER
There will be casualties at hooker
2023 begins with Facundo Bosch and Agustín Creevy needing to fight hard to avoid being casualties. The former missed out in 2021 despite winning the European Champions Cup. He has impressed for Bayonne this season. The latter turns 38 in March and, despite having 97, is in danger of not reaching 100 caps. Ruiz was preferred to Creevy in November. Socino has arguably been a step above Creevy in England this season.
Decisions Seemingly made at Prop
As noted in Up, there are six names who Cheika has made up his mind on for both prop positions. This means others are out of favor. Santiago Medrano went from a constant under Ledesma to one cap under Cheika in 2021. Enrique Pieretto watched on injured while Lucio Sordoni returned in late 2022 from injury to now play in Scotland. 2021 loose head debutants Facundo Gigena, Ignacio Calles, and Rodrigo Martínez all missed out in 2022.
Breaking the Ranks at Second-Row
RWC 2015 and 2019 starting lock Guido Petti was overtaken by Matías Alemanno in 2022. His year was impacted by injuries and he ended the year with Bordeaux awaiting his complete recovery. Franco Molina toured in November without receiving game-time and remains uncapped. Making the roster is highly complicated due to the established names being in their prime and Marcos Kremer’s utility means one less lock can be selected than the norm.
Full-House beats a Flush in the Back-Row
Many Pumas rosters have had a mixture of established back-rowers and up-and-comers. This is not so in 2022; more quality than in past RWC cycles has seen players missing out. Matera playing N8 meant Rodrigo Bruni, and Joaquín Oviedo fell out of favor. It also saw no opportunity for Bautista Pedemonte. Meanwhile, Francisco Gorrissen has been excellent in the Pro D2 and captained the Argentina XV against Portugal and Georgia. Santiago Grondona did play for Argentina though saw his role decreased in 2022. Tomás Lezana is out of favor with Cheika and has not been a regular at Scarlets.
The Men Controlling Play
The scrum-half position saw alterations in 2022. Neither Felipe Ezcurra nor Gonzalo García received game-time for Argentina. The former was an injury call-up to the Argentina XV while the latter underwent two surgeries. García’s place at the World Cup is now in doubt. If the Zebre scrum-half can recover then he has a good shot at making the World Cup. Meanwhile, Tomás Cubelli played well for Argentina though sees his place in danger based on the emergence of others.
Changes being felt at Fly Half
Veterans Nicolás Sánchez and Benjamín Urdapilleta both played for Los Pumas in 2022. Neither man is assured of a place on the roster in 2023. Sánchez moved from Stade Français to Brive mid-season. He played excellent to upset Clermont . More performances will help him add to his 95 test caps. Urdapilleta continues to deliver for Castres at the age of 36. Neither Domingo Miotti nor Patricio Fernández have been regulars for Glasgow or Perpignan and neither made Cheika’s rosters in 2022.
Mid-field Spectators
Injury saw Santiago Chocobares go from first choice in 2021 to missing out on caps in 2022. He is yet to play for Toulouse since his knee injury before the end of the 2021-2022 Top 14 season. London Irish’s Lucio Cinti continues to play very well; yet, Cheika played him on the wing not at center. Lucas Mensa made the roster in 2022 but did not receive game time.
Wing Options Cause Havoc
Los Pumas are spoiled for choice on the wings. The likes of Santiago Cordero, Juan Imhoff, and Sebastián Cancelliere, are all having impressive seasons in Europe. The first and second names both played under Cheika in 2022. Options mean that they are in grave danger of missing the cut. Cancelliere played for the Argentina XV not Pumas in 2022.
Ledesma and Cheika differ on fullback
Mallía became Ledesma’s fullback in 2021 and Cheika continues with the policy in 2022. Meanwhile, 2021 rookies Facundo Cordero and Ignacio Mendy received no caps in 2022. Both played as wings in 2021 but with a clear vision to possible fullback roles moving forward. Of them Mendy has impressed greatly this season in the URC. He may not remain in the under category in 2023.
