Jaguares punish Lions in Argentina

Mario Ledesma’s Jaguares have notched their second win of the season after a much improved performance against the Lions.

The Argentinian side evened their ledger against the conference leading Lions with a convincing 49-35 victory at Estadio Amalfitani.

20-year-old Jaguares wing Bautista Delguy got his side off to another fast start, scoring the opening try within the first minute.

That opening sequence set the tone for the home side, who eventually put six tries on the board.

The Lions hit back with two converted tries through lock Marvin Orie and electric winger Sylvian Mahuza in quick succession.

The Jaguares took back the advantage just before half time, scoring two more tries of their own and a penalty goal to take a 25-14 lead into the sheds.

Entering the second spell, the Jaguares started exactly how they finished the first half – over the tryline – as Emiliano Boffelli crossed for his sixth score of the season.

A pair of signature Malcolm Marx tries in the second half wouldn’t be put the Lions back on top as last year’s finalists leaked two more converted tries – including a stunning solo effort from 22-year-old midfielder Bautista Ezcurra – to put the scoreline out of reach.

The Jaguares looked like a significantly improved team as they took excellent care of the ball, surrendering just eight turnovers in comparison with a whopping 26 last weekend.

¡Triunfo de Jaguares!#JugamosTodos #PersonalSuperRugby #JAGvLIO pic.twitter.com/B2W65ilX9P

— Jaguares (@JaguaresARG) March 24, 2018

Argentine flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez was close to flawless from the tee, kicking five conversions and three penalties to put up 19 points.

JAGUARES 49 (Delguy, Boffelli 2, Ezcurra, Ortega 2 tries, Sanchez 5 cons, 3 pens) LIONS 35 (Orie, Mahuza, Marx 2, Erasmus tries, Jantjies 5 cons) HT 25-14