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Los Jaguares are at home this Saturday against the Waratahs. It is the fourth match for the Argentine franchise and the third for the team from New South Wales state. The home side enter as the only team in Super Rugby yet to register a competition point. Their opponents are a team they defeated in Sydney in 2017.
Mario Ledesma enters the match in a unique position. Prior to becoming Head Coach of Los Jaguares he was a coach in Australia. He worked as forwards coach for the Wallabies and also the Waratahs.
In looking to defeat a team he has plenty of insight into, Ledesma has some alterations. In the forwards Marcos Kremer moves from second-row to flanker. He partners Pablo Matera on the side of the scrum with Javier Ortega Desio moving to no 8 in place of the injured Tomás Lezana.
Kremer’s positional shift allows Tomás Lavanini to come back to join Matías Alemanno in the second-row. Guido Petti is again the Jaguares’ replacement in the position.
Earlier this week Jerónimo de la Fuente returned to training but he will have to wait another week. There is, nonetheless, a change at inside center as veteran Santiago González Iglesias has been preferred to Bautista Ezcurra.
Additional alterations were considered but have not eventuated. Indeed Emiliano Boffelli trained at fullback on Tuesday. Still unable to make the team are Martín Landajo and Juan Martín Hernández. They started against England last November yet have been left out altogether this weekend and neither has started under Ledesma.
Instead Gonzalo Bertranou continues to hold down the 9 shirt and Nicolás Sánchez the 10. Their replacements against the Waratahs are to be Felipe Ezcurra and Joaquín Díaz Bonilla. Ezcurra is back from Americas Rugby Championship duty with the Argentina XV.
Also back from the win over Brazil is Santiago García Botta. Having started against os Tupis he will provide back-up this Saturday for Felipe Arregui at Loose Head.
The Waratahs are coached by former All Blacks center Daryl Gibson. His preparation for Saturday had some problems. Star back Kurtley Beale was in doubt for the match but will start at inside center.
Gibson’s starting line-up to face Los Jaguares sees just the one change. It comes on the right wing with Alex Newsome replacing Andrew Kellaway.
On the bench Gibson has named Tolu Latu ahead of Hugh Roach as the replacement hooker while the injured Mitchell Short has been replaced by Nick Duffy as the reserve scrum-half. Outwide Fijians-Australian speedster Taqele Naiyaravoro is set for his first appearance of 2018, doing so as a replacement.
The Waratahs enter the match with a win over the Stormers in Sydney and a draw against the Sharks in Durban. On form they certainly are well placed to beat Los Jaguares. Yet with their only having been one prior match between the teams there is little to conclude from prior results.
There are many Wallabies in the Waratahs side. Among them are some of Australia’s finest players including Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, and Michael Hooper. Los Jaguares though have all of Argentina’s best home-based players.
Only Felipe Arregui and Bautista Delguy lack time playing for Daniel Hourcade’s Pumas. Ledesma’s team is trying to find their identity and put their game plan into action. A win over the Waratahs will require a superb performance. They enter the match as a good chance, but on level terms with the visiting Waratahs.
JAGUARES
15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (capt.), 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Felipe Arregui
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Sebastián Cancelliere
WARATAHS
15 Israel Folau, 14 Alex Newsome, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Curtis Rona, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Jed Holloway, 7 Michael Hooper (capt.), 6 Michael Wells, 5 Tom Staniforth, 4 Ned Hanigan, 3 Paddy Ryan, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Kalivati Tawake, 19 Nick Palmer, 20 Will Miller, 21 Nick Duffy, 22 Bryce Hegarty, 23 Taqele Naiyaravoro
Date: Saturday March 10
Venue: Estadio Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 6:40pm local
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistants: Nick Briant (New Zealand), Pablo Deluca (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)
