Los Jaguares were disappointing in their first Super Rugby season but they are preparing to surprise everyone in their second campaign.
Last year
They had poor results in 2016 and could not qualify for the finals. The won only four games— against the Cheetahs, Kings, Bulls and Lions—and in their last victory turned the finals series upside down. But they had some close losses which made people wonder what might have been.,
All their victories were against South African Conference teams; they could not beat any New Zealand sides in their five games against them. That was no disgrace but but they got no sympathy when they lost matches through poor discipline; because some of the events that led to yellow cards in the season were thuggish and stupid.
After thrashing the Kings by nearly 50 points they lost the return fixture a month later. In that return bout they got two red cards in the first half and they still held on, but after they got a yellow card as well the Kings scored three tries to win. You can’t hope to succeed with discipline like that.
Although the national team, Los Pumas, had showed some high tempo rugby during the Rugby World Cup, the Super Rugby team, Los Jaguares, could not get away from their old style in the new tournament to the same extent.
Lacking many experienced players earning their living in Europe they could not perform with a progressive style at the same level in Super Rugby. They had many young players also; many who got a run in Super Rugby in 2016 did not play for the national team in the Rugby Championship. Also the core skills of the Super Rugby squad were not as good as those of the national team and their coach was not as experienced at that level as most of the others in the tournament either.
And not one referee spoke Spanish!
Coach Raul Perez – not as experienced as most other Super Rugby coaches
The travel
Like the Sunwolves, they had no experience in travelling such long distances, so often. Part of the problem was that they were the only Super Rugby team in Argentina, or even in the same continent; so all their away games were far overseas. The staff found it difficult to manage the flight hours and the players found the draw very hard with their body rhythms upset, week after week.
Sometimes Los Pumas had to split up the travelling group to ease the problem. For one segment of a tour they had one group for the first two games in NZ, and another for the third Kiwi game and the visit to Japan. No wonder the Sunwolves, victims of long travel themselves, beat them at home. Not all the players were changed but you can imagine how disruptive that must have been.
Nicola Freitas – first foreign player for Los Jaguares, playing in trial v Argentina XV
The new faces
There are seven new faces; most won’t be known to readers, but they include backrower and Puma Benjamín Macome who has returned after playing for Bayonne. Centre Bautista Ezcurra and winger Santiago Alvarez also join, from the Argentine Sevens team.
The most interesting addition is the first foreigner of the franchise, Nicolas Freitas (winger), a young Uruguayan of promise who has been hired by the UAR. In some sectors of Argentine rugby there were complaints because they consider that there are better wingers in Argentina than Freitas, but the Union remained firm in its position, as part of a plan for the development of rugby in the region.
For the current administration, helping Uruguayan rugby is an essential part of consolidating the code in this part of the world. They also consider that it could attract sponsors from other countries in the region.
Tomas Lavanini gets a card in the RWC – got a few in Super Rugby last year too
This year
The team is training intensely at the Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club. It was difficult for Los Jaguares to get any meaningful trials but they won warm-up games against Uruguay (61-7) and then crushed an Argentina XV 68-14. In both games the team was fast and very confident.
Discipline – As well as improving their physical discipline Los Jaguares will also have be more moderate with their play. Too often last year they made risky offloads that were not high percentage, as though they were trying to win the match with each play of the game. They will also have to improve their set-piece and tackle percentage because they rated well down the list.
These aspects loom as key focal points in 2017 if they’re to deliver on results that match their personnel.
Martin Landajo – injured in trial game v Uruguay
Injuries – They hope for a better run with injuries this season because at one stage in 2016 they had only one healthy lock on tour; but there is already a big casualty list of international players and the season hasn’t even started yet.
Key player and scrumhalf Martin Landajo suffered the fracture of the fibula in the first friendly game; he has been operated on and won’t play for at least three months. Tighthead Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and lock Tomás Lavanini are still recovering from their injuries and can not return yet.
Juan Martin Hernandez, Manuel Montero, Javier Ortega Desio and Juan Leguizamon are all recovering from minor injuries and they won’t be able to play in the first tour.
There may be another missing player also. No 8 Facundo Isa, the best Pumas player in 2016, has signed a contract with the powerful French team Toulon, and there are strong doubts that he be allowed to play Super Rugby this year due to the strict eligibility laws of the Unión Argentina de Rugby. It is rumoured that he is training away from the group.
But there are still high expectations for this squad and they will have greater confidence in confronting the five Australian Conference teams rather than the five Kiwi teams of 2016.
Augustin Creevy playing against the Sharks – have to beat them twice in 2016
The draw
This year the draw has been more beneficial to the Argentine team: they don’t have to travel to Japan and they have one more game at home. This means that their travel will be only about two-thirds of what they did in 2016.
[one_half last=”no”]Rd 1: Feb 25 v Southern Kings (Away)
Rd 2: Mar 4 v Stormers (Away)
Rd 3: Mar 11 v Lions (Home)
Rd 4: Mar 18 v Cheetahs (Home)
Rd 5: Mar 25 v Reds (Home)
Rd 6: Bye
Rd 7: Apr 8 v Sharks (Away)
Rd 8: Apr 15 v Bulls (Away)
Rd 9: Apr 21 v Lions (Away)[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]Rd 10: April 29 vs Sharks (Home)
Rd 11: May 6 v Sunwolves (Home)
Rd 12: May 13 v Force (Home)
Rd 13: Bye
Rd 14: May 27 v Brumbies (Home)
Rd 15: Jun 30 v Southern Kings (Home)
Rd 16: Jul 8 v Waratahs (Away)
Rd 17: Jul 14 v Rebels (Away)[/one_half]
Would be nice if Los Jaguares beat the Lions again this year
Prediction
The key to making the finals is to at least get second in their Africa 2 Conference. This means beating the Sharks twice—and also to end up with more ladder points than the second-placed team in the Africa 1 Conference; so beating them (the Bulls or the Stormers) who they play once, is also important.
Winning the Conference by defeating the Lions head-to-head will be a big ask but they beat them in Buenos Aires last year. The visitors didn’t play their best team, but this season Los Jaguares could do it anyway if they improve as they should in the areas mentioned.
I’m picking that Los Jaguares will be the most-improved team in Super Rugby this year and finish the season strongly.
Africa 2 Conference – 2nd – Semi finalists
