Match Preview – Jaguares vs Lions

This weekend will see Los Jaguares play at home for the first time in 2017. The Argentine Super Rugby franchise is to have the demanding assignment of playing host to the 2016 runners-up.

Head Coach Raúl Pérez has veteran star play-maker, Juan Martín Hernández. Yet despite him having missed the opening two rounds Hernández will feature from the bench. Pérez has opted to field the same fifteen players who started against the Stormers last weekend.

Hernández is to be joined by Javier Ortega Desio in the replacements. Both players will make their 2017 Super Rugby debut appearances against the Lions. Their inclusion comes at the expense of Santiago González Iglesias and Benjamín Macome.

Macome made his Super Rugby debut against the Stormers. In doing so he was the third debutant this season. He follows Joaquín Díaz Bonilla and Cristian Bartoloni and is the 44th Jaguar.

The Lions have named a strong lineup, albeit not one at full strength. Warren Whiteley captains the side from no 8 and is to have strong reinforcements from the bench. Among those covering are to be Springboks Malcolm Marx, Jaco Kriel and Faf de Klerk.

Left behind in South Africa is star fly half Elton Jantjies. The Springbok did not travel due to the expected birth of his second child. Both Franco Mostert and Lionel Mapoe are also absent, both having been rested. Rohan Janse van Rensburg remained in South Africa due to his mothers death while Ruan Combrinck is sidelined through injury.

Saturday’s match is to be the third fixture between the teams. The first was a round 13 clash last season. The Lions ran-out 52-24 winners. Scoring tries for Los Jaguares were Gonzalo Bertranou and Nicolás Sánchez. The latter also landed four penalties.

In the rematch, Los Jaguares hosted the Lions in round 17. In a much improved performance the Argentine side won 34-22. Sánchez scored 19 points (5 penalties and 2 conversions) while Matías Alemanno and Facundo Isa each scored once and there was also a penalty try.

Should Los Jaguares be able to control their set-piece game then the odds are on their side for a victory. Vastly improved discipline is required to that from Cape Town. Two Jaguares were yellow carded in the second half and the Stormers were also awarded a penalty try. Two players were also yellow carded in round one against the Southern Kings.

JAGUARES
1 Santiago García Botta, 2 Agustín Creevy (Capt.), 3 Felipe Arregui, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Matías Alemanno, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Tomás Lezana, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 13 Matías Orlando, 14 Santiago Cordero, 15 Joaquín Tuculet.

Raplcements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Lucas Noguera Paz, 18 Cristian Bartoloni, 19 Marcos Kremer, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Juan Martín Hernández, 23 Matías Moroni

LIONS
15 Jaco van der Walt, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Jacques Nel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Shaun Reynolds, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Warren Whiteley (Capt.), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Johannes Jonker, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Dylan Smith

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Andries Coetzee, 23 Sylvian Mahuza

Date: Saturday, March 11
Venue: Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kickoff: 4:40pm local
Referee: Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistants: Paul Williams (New Zealand), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)