Match Preview – Jaguares vs Southern Kings

Following the completion of Los Pumas’ June Internationals attention returns to Super Rugby. For Los Jaguares it is to be a final home match this year. The Argentine side will play host to the Southern Kings on Friday. The fixture will be followed by two matches in Australia.

With no chance of appearing in the play-off’s the fixture does not serve the interests of Los Jaguares. It does, however, work in the interests of Los Pumas. Home defeats in San Juan and Santa Fé to England this month underlined the work required to be competitive in the Rugby Championship. This was further underlined with a badly exposed scrum against Georgia in Jujuy.

Jaguares Head Coach Raúl Pérez has the same roster which Daniel Hourcade did for international duty. Captain Agustín Creevy has earned a rest. The hooker spot will be taken by Julián Montoya this weekend. As such the captaincy has gone to scrum half Martín Landajo.

Other missing players are forwards Ramiro Herrera, Tomás Lavanini, Marcos Kremer, Tomás Lezana and Javier Ortega Desio and backs Jerónimo De la Fuente, Juan Martín Hernández and Ramiro Moyano. They are not involved based on a combination of injuries and player management.

Pérez has named a front-row of Lucas Noguera Paz, Julián Montoya and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Curiously this sees Tetaz Chaparro playing his first Super Rugby match of the year. He moves from Loose Head to Tight Head prop this weekend.

Matías Alemanno and Guido Petti are retained as the second-rowers. They played the full 80 minutes for Argentina in Jujuy. With Lavanini and Kremer out of action Ignacio Larrague has been named on the bench.

Two of the three back-rowers have been changed from Jujuy. Leonardo Senatore retains his spot at No 8 but will be joined by Juan Manuel Leguizamón and Pablo Matera against the Kings. Coming off an outstanding performance in Jujuy Rodrigo Báez will provide cover from the bench.

In the backs Landajo and Nicolás Sánchez will backup from facing Georgia. Also making the transition from Pumas to Jaguares and starting are Matías Orlando, Matías Moroni and Joaquín Tuculet. They start at outside center, wing and fullback respectively.

The remaining run-on spots are to be taken by Emiliano Boffelli and Bautista Ezcurra. Boffelli scored a try in each test against England. Ezcurra, meanwhile, remains uncapped. The 22-year-old will have his first opportunity in his preferred position of inside center. In prior Super Rugby matches he has played on the wing.

With questions raised over Hernández’ playing standards in 2017 Argentina is in need of additional options at inside center. As it stands Jerónimo de la Fuente will start in the Rugby Championship. No clear player stands out as a substitute. Ezcurra’s opportunity is thereby in the interests of Los Pumas.

The visiting Southern Kings are in Buenos Aires without a host of regular players. Injuries deprived Deon Davids of having a strong lineup for the most recent match, against the Lions. Having missed that match Lionel Cronje is back now to lead the Southern Kings.

Also back for Davids is Schalk Ferreira. The prop has been out for three months. Utility back, Masixole Banda, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, will cover from the bench. South Africa u20 player, Yaw Penxe, will is also back for the Kings.

Friday’s fixture is to be the fourth between the sides. Their most recent match was in the opening round of this season. Los Jaguares won 39-26 in Port Elizabeth. In 2016 the teams won once each. The loss saw Los Jaguares down to 12 men. The Argentine side is the odds-on-favorite to win again.

In the standings the Kings are 4th and the Jaguares 3rd in the Africa 2 conference.  Both teams have lost their past two matches. A Kings win would not be sufficient to see the team overtake Los Jaguares in the standings.

JAGUARES
15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo (Capt.), 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Lucas Noguera Paz

Replacements: 16 Roberto Tejerizo, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Ignacio Larrague, 20 Rodrigo Báez, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Santiago Cordero

SOUTHERN KINGS
15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Wandile Mjekevu, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje (Capt.), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 4 Irne Herbst, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Michael Willemse, 1 Mzamo Majola.

Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Thembelani Bholi, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Masixole Banda, 23 Yaw Penxe

Venue: Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
Assistants: Pali Deluca (Argentina) and Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani