Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Is the Jaguares honeymoon over? - Super Rugby 2019 Preview

There’s a new coach and a new captain in Argentina.

New is not bad, but most coaches will tell you consistency is better.

And the Jaguares have been anything but consistent. They will have their third coach in four years.

ADVERTISEMENT

Raúl Pérez started out, then Mario Ledesma took over last year (before being elevated to the national team) and Gonzalo Quesada is the coach for 2019.

The Jaguares have also played musical chairs with their captains.

First there was Agustin Creevy, then Pablo Matera took over the captain’s armband and this year it will be Jeronimo de la Fuente.

After making the playoffs for the first time in 2018, the Jaguares may find the honeymoon is over.

They have also lost two of their most influential players – Juan Martín Hernández (retired) and Nicolás Sánchez (moved to Stade Francais).

Sanchez has been the puppetmaster that pulled the strings. He expertly organised the Jaguares on both attack and defence, while he also racked up an impressive 391 points in the last three years – including 21 tries. His departure will leave a massive hole.

No doubt they will again be tough to beat on their home track in Buenos Aires, but it will be interesting to see if they will be as consistent on the road.

ADVERTISEMENT

Last year they had a four-match unbeaten tour of Australasia – beating the Rebels (25-22 in Melbourne), Brumbies (25-20, Canberra), Blues (20-13, Auckland) and Chiefs (23-19, Rotorua).

Much will depend on the captaincy of De la Fuente, but coach Gonzalo Quesada has faith in the new team leader.

“We feel that Jeronimo is one of the most capable players,” Quesada said.

“He is ideally positioned in terms of his experience and his character, not only as a player but as a person as well.”

ADVERTISEMENT

2019 Predictions
South African Conference Placing: Fourth
Player of the Year: Santiago González Iglesias
Rookie of the Year: Lucio Sordoni
Super Rugby Placing: Ninth to 12th

Squad Movements

In: Gaspar Baldunciel (Alumni), Santiago Carreras (Córdoba Athletic), Santiago Chocobares (Duendes), Santiago Grondona (Champagnat), Ignacio Mendy (sevens), Franco Molina (Jockey), Domingo Miotti (Tucuman), Lucas Paulos (Olivios), Lucio Sordoni (Atlético del Rosario), Mayco Vivas (Atlético del Rosario).

Out: Santiago Álvarez (Sevens), Felipe Arregui (Duendes), Franco Brarda (Tala), Felipe Ezcurra (Leicester Tigers), Nicolás Leiva (released), Benjamín Macome (released), Juan Martín Hernández (retired), Nicolás Sánchez (Stade Francais).

Squad: Javier Diaz, Santiago Garcia Botta, Santiago Medrano, Enrique Pieretto, Lucio Sordoni, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Mayco Vivas, Juan Pablo Zeiss, Gaspar Baldunciel, Agustin Creevy, Diego Fortuny, Julian Montoya, Matias Alemanno, Marcos Kremer, Tomas Lavanini, Franco Molina, Lucas Paulos, Guido Petti, Santiago Grondona, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Tomas Lezana, Pablo Matera, Javier Ortega Desio, Rodrigo Bruni, Gonzalo Bertranou, Tomas Cubelli, Martin Landajo, Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Domingo Miotti, Santiago Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Bautista Ezcurra, Matias Moroni, Matias Orlando, Emiliano Boffelli, Sebastian Cancelliere, Juan Cruz Mallia, Ramiro Moyano, Bautista Delguy, Ignacio Mendy, Joaquin Tuculet.

History

Best finish: Seventh (losing quarterfinalists) in 2018

Worst finish: Thirteenth in 2016

Rugby World Cup City Guides – Kumamoto:

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

M
MS 1 hour ago
Why Blair Kinghorn should be nailed on as the Lions starting 15

I can see arguments for both Kinghorn, and Keenan starting for the Lions. But I’m less convinced by some of the claims (clearly partisan) supporters are using to argue the merits of one over the other.


For example, a number of Ireland supporters have suggested Kinghorn is ‘defensively weak’. That’s patently false - or at least on the evidence of this 6N, he’s certainly no weaker there than Keenan is, who is presumably the comparative standard they’re using. Keenan was both shrugged off in contact, and beaten on the edge for pace, a number of times during this competition.


Equally, Scotland supporters arguing Kinghorn is the more capable ‘rugby player’ seem to have overlooked the (frankly sizeable) body of evidence demonstrating that Keenan is an excellent ball in hand distributor and decision maker. So that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny either.


I don’t think there’s all that much to choose between them, and either would be a strong choice. I think it would be really interesting from a pure rugby perspective to see Keenan playing a ‘Scotland-esque’ style of high tempo attacking rugby. Either coming into the line more routinely as first receiver, or being swung as a pendulum and getting the ball on the edge against a stretched defence.


That’s assuming Andy Farrell goes that route, of course. He may well just opt for his Ireland system instead, and populate it with the likes of Henshaw, Ringrose, Lowe and Keenan. I’m sure that would win the series. Quite what effect it might have on a Lions audience who were expecting something other than ‘Ireland on tour, but wearing red’ would remain to be seen.


As for the debate at FB, the only ‘eye test’ difference I feel exists is in the pace of rugby Kinghorn (Toulouse? Scotland?) tends to play. His passing/offload game feels crisper and higher tempo than Keenan’s - and as we saw in Paris, his pace and eye for a gap from deep are superior.


But again, that will only prove a decisive factor if Andy Farrell wants to play that way. If all he wants from his FB is to sit deep, field high balls, and mop up then there’s little between these two equally excellent players.

4 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'France may leave top players at home but will still be serious contenders in New Zealand' 'France may leave top players at home but will still be serious contenders in New Zealand'
Search