The Rugby Championship preview: Argentina

[TRF_Ezequiel]

2011 record: Did not play​

2012 is a massive year for Argentine rugby, with Argentina joining the Southern Hemisphere's elite rugby tournament for the first time. Though traditionally a highly competitive side, Argentina made the world stand up and take notice after a 3rd ​place finish during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, twice defeating the host nation France. However they have struggled to consistently live up to that performance in recent seasons. They still managed to make the quarter finals at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and with the majority of their elite players now featuring in the Top 14 in France, their future looks bright. Argentina enter the inaugural Rugby Championship as underdogs, with the New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa currently ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the IRB rankings. The Puma's do however have a strong forward pack, and with many of their top players largely unknown to Southern Hemisphere opposition, it would be no surprise if they manage to pull off an upset or two.

New players to watch:

Argentina enter the tournament with a number of exciting young players who have performed well at club level, but have yet to fully show their wares on the international stage. Up front, big Montpellier tighthead prop Maximilano Bustos will be looking to finally make his test debut, having been on the fringes of the Argentine squad for several years. He was selected as one of five props in Argentina's Rugby World Cup squad, but received no game-time, however with the retirement of Martín Scelzo he may get his chance to make his mark this season. 27 year-old lock Tomas Vallejos is another who has had limited opportunities on the international stage, with only a single test cap (earned off the bench versus Georgia). As only one of three specialist locks in the squad he may be in line for a bench spot throughout the Rugby Championship, backing up the more established pair of Manuel Carizza and Patricio Albacete. 21 year-old Tomas de la Vega is the youngest forward in the squad, but may well be vital for Argentina's success. de le Vega is a genuine openside flanker, with good speed to the breakdown and the ability to slow down or turnover opposition ball. Though he lacks experience, his ability to compete at the breakdown against world class operators like Richie McCaw and David Pocock may be vital for Argentina.

Bordeaux Bègles flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez joins Marcelo Bosch, Santiago Fernandez, and Juan Martin Hernandez as one of a number of options for the Argentina 10 jersey. Equally comfortable in the 12 jersey, Sanchez is an accomplished goal-kicker, which may give him a good chance of making the Argentina match day 22. Traditionally Argentina have preferred smaller more elusive wings, but 20 year-old Manuel Montero is an exception to that rule. Though he has limited experience, his size and strength may be vitally important to contain the the likes of Digby Ioane, Hosea Gear, and Julian Savea. Wing/fullback Martin Bustos Moyana is another who has been on the fringes of the Puma's side for a number of seasons, but has only managed to gain a single test cap. However given Argentina's goal-kicking woes during the Rugby World Cup they may be tempted to give Bustos Moyana a start, as he is probably the most accurate goal-kicker in the squad.

Key players:

The scrum has been a traditional strength of Argentine teams, and the performance of Argentina's entire front row will go a long way in determining how competitive Argentina are in this tournament. Rodrigo Roncero, Juan Figallo, Marcos Ayerza are all strong scrummaging props, while Augustin Creevy is a dynamic hooker. Though Argentina may struggle to compete in some areas, the scrum should not be one of these – indeed they should be as strong at scrum time as any team in the tournament, and will be expected to dominate in this area against Australia. Argentina will rely heavily on the experience of number 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, especially with Juan Martin Leguizamon missing the early part of the tournament with a knee injury. Fernandez Lobbe has been named as Argentina's captain for the tournament, and will be looked upon to lead the team from the front.

Juan Martin Hernandez was one of the stars of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, playing a major hand in Argentina's 3rd place finish, however a series of serious injuries since then have meant his chances on the international stage in recent years have been limited. Equally capable of playing at flyhalf or fullback, Hernadez's combination of pace, ability to read the game, strong kicking skills, and superb ability under the high-ball make him a real threat to any opposition. Hernandez looks set to start at flyhalf for the Puma's during the Rugby Championship, and if he is able to replicate his 2007 form he could set the tournament alight. Argentina have a number of promising outside backs, but experienced wing Horacio Agulla remains a vital component of Argentina's back three. The 27 year-old Agulla started every match for Argentina at last years' Rugby World Cup, and recently completed a strong season for Leicester. Agulla has good pace and is deceptively powerful, while his big match experience should help settle Argentina's relatively inexperienced back-line.

Predicted 22:

1. Rodrigo Roncero, 2. Agustin Creevy, 3. Juan Figallo, 4. Manuel Carizza, 5. Patricio Albacete, 6. Julio Farias Cabello, 7. Alvaro Galindo, 8. Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 9. Nicholas Vergallo, 10. Juan Martin Hernandez, 11. Juan Imhoff, 12. Santiago Fernandez, 13. Marcelo Bosch, 14. Horacio Agulla, 15. Martin Rodriguez
Reserves: 16. Eusebio Guinazu 17. Marcos Ayerza, 18. Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19. Leonardi Senatore, 20. Martin Landajo, 21. Nicolas Sanchez 22. Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino


Schedule:

18th​ August. South Africa - Argentina. Newlands, Cape Town
25th​ August. Argentina - South Africa. Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendonza
8th​ September. New Zealand - Argentina. Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
15th​ September. Australia - Argentina. Robina Stadium, Gold Coast
30th​ September. Argentina - New Zealand. Estadio Ciudad de la Plata, La Plata
6th​ October. Argentina – Australia. Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario


Predicted Finish in 2012: 3rd​

 

[Smithy_NZ]

3rd!? They barely got over Stade Francais yesterday with a full strength side. I hope they do well and think they could pick up a scalp but doubt they can finish anywhere other than 4th.

 

[admartian]

Lobbe is an awesome number 8.

 

[Larksea]

I think there is a chance the Pumas will be good but also a chance they will be embarrassed in this tournament.

I think in recent years the battles that have taken place in the tri nations (outside world cup years) have been some of the toughest, closest most brutal rugby in the world. Much higher I think than what you see in 6 nations or the world cup even.

Like playing a world cup semi final every weekend 6 weeks in a row, I think it will take a few years for them to adjust to it.

 

[nickdnz]

3rd!? They barely got over Stade Francais yesterday with a full strength side. I hope they do well and think they could pick up a scalp but doubt they can finish anywhere other than 4th.

Umm no. They were leading until they took off their best players to experiment.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

For a moment there I thought their last game was on the road again (wrongly highlighted ATM) but as it stands they have as good a draw as one could probably ask for at this stage even though Aus and NZ have somewhat better draws (much less travel to and fro). Cape Town is also probably the best place for them to play away from home (and France) seeing as los Pampas XV trained at Stellenbosch and there are some players that know the Cape and also CT is probably the place where they'll find the most support.

 

[PREEST]

Argentina will be hard pressed to get a win away from home but they can target those home games as opportunities. It will be several years before they are a real contender, but the promise is exciting. Just think back to last year's rugby world cup quarter final against the all blacks. Argentina scored the only try of the first half, which came from an excellent break from around the half way line. They were well in contention at the break. NZ scored some late tries and put them away with penalties but by no means smashed the Pumas. I am very excited for the new tournament and I hope that the Pumas give it all and surprise us.

 

[big ginger 8]

I'd be very confident of them beating Australia at home and causing a lot of bother for all the teams but I still think they'll end up last.

 

[Smithy_NZ]

Umm no. They were leading until they took off their best players to experiment.

??? You obviously didn't watch the second game!?

Stade lead 17-14 after 55 minutes, then Argentina ran in some late tries to make the score respectable. This isn't the form you would hope from a team entering its first RC, only just getting over a team as bad as Stade Francais... I think they will obviously rise for the big matches and of course at home they are always unpredictable and capable of getting big victories.

I think I understood your snarky statement?

 

[psychic duck]

??? You obviously didn't watch the second game!?

Stade lead 17-14 after 55 minutes, then Argentina ran in some late tries to make the score respectable. This isn't the form you would hope from a team entering its first RC, only just getting over a team as bad as Stade Francais... I think they will obviously rise for the big matches and of course at home they are always unpredictable and capable of getting big victories.

I think I understood your snarky statement?

Argentina were in control in that second game though.

I know that Stade were leading at one point mid way through the match, but that was a try against the run of play rather than an indication of who was dominating the match.

They also missed some kicks as well.