Los Pumas

[Black Hawk]

I would love to see Los Pumas dare to be different in their warm-up matches for next year's World Cup and withdraw from the Rugby Championship and instead play Test matches against opposition closer aligned to those they'll meet in Group D in France. Games with Uruguay, Fiji and Georgia would be far better preparation for the tournament itself (against Chile, Samoa, England and Japan) and give the opportunity for a mini-winning run going into it rather than likely defeats to the three Southern Hemisphere giants.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Up until 2020 ( canceled due to covid) Argentina XV (essentially Arg's b side) played the america's rugby chamionship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas_Rugby_Championship). Every year.
Last july (2022) Arg XV played both Georgia and Portugal.

It's as if all of the things you desire in your post have already happened/are happening.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

completely out of the blue

 

[Black Hawk]

That's a good point about the Argentina XV in Georgia and Portugal, but Los Pumas have not played Uruguay at home since 2011 and not anywhere against Fiji for nearly twenty years!

The final group D match in France next year against Japan could well be the game which decides qualification for the knock-out stages, but I think that Samoa are also very dangerous opponents having had a strong run of results recently which has seen them rise to 11th in the World.

I just think that a Pumas mini-tour of the South Pacific to play Fiji and Tonga (Argentina has never played the latter outside of a WC tournament or in either country before) would be good preparation for the potentially crucial Samoan match and something a little bit different than a three-game Rugby Championship. Why give potential opponents in the WC knock-out stages (NZ, SA, Aus) any kind of psychological advantage ahead of the main tournament?

 

[Black Hawk]

To win the World Cup, Los Pumas would have to win at least three test matches in a row, something which they haven't done since the 2015 tournament. Indeed, since beating Ireland in the quarter-final that year, Argentina have only won 25% of their 75 test matches, mainly because the vast majority of these games have been in the Rugby Champuonship against the three multiple World Cup winners. During this time they have only won consecutive internationals on three occasions, which is why I think that warm-up matches against teams outside of the top ten ranked nations would be beneficial for both Los Pumas' confidence and winning mentality.

 

[Black Hawk]

A five-game World Cup warm-up for Los Pumas seems rather excessive, especially given the amount of travelling involved and the intensity of the matches in a Rugby Championship. I know that South Africa are contracted to the tournament until 2025, but I'm not sure about Argentina. The Spanish centenary celebration match in Madrid at the end of August is a welcome change from the regular fixtures, but again it makes little sense as World Cup preparation given the opposition Los Pumas will face in the group stages in France. Condensing a full international calendar of games (potentially 12 ) into less than four months will be exhausting for the players and a three-game warm-up against teams who play a similar style to World Cup opponents would surely be more beneficial and see the team arrive at the tournament much fresher and rested.