The alarming slide of Argentina - why has it gone so wrong
Head coach Daniel Hourcade is on his way out after Saturday’s match with Scotland. With the Rugby Championship just months away and a World Cup on the horizon Argentina are in a mess. Just how has it gone so wrong for the 2015 World Cup semi-finalists.
At the 2007 World Cup the rugby public sat up and took notice as Argentina shocked hosts and Six Nations champions France 17-12 in the tournament opener and beat highly-fancied Ireland 30-15, to finish top of their pool. Their team featured a traditionally robust pack and a few backs to savour including the likes of Felipe Contepomi and the king of drop goals Juan Martin Hernandez. It was a side which went on to claim third place at the tournament.
The goal at the time was admission to the Six Nations, a tournament which would suit the Argentine game, coupled with the fact that most of their players played in the Northern Hemisphere, it was the perfect match. A few weeks after the World Cup had finished, in November 2007, they formally applied to join the Six Nations. By the end of that same month the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) extinguished that hope with a statement: “’The forum agreed that the Pumas’ future lies in the southern hemisphere. In the short term there are major hurdles to the integration of Argentina into the southern playing structure. However, the Argentinian Rugby Union (UAR) have made a commitment to have their players contracted to the union and for the majority of their players to be based in Argentina by 2012”.
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After years of chasing the Six Nations dream, a complete change of tack was needed. Trying to entice home players who were on lucrative contracts wasn’t going to be easy or happen overnight. Their cause wasn’t helped by SANZAR, who in April 2010 agreed a five-year deal for Super Rugby from 2011 to 2015. It meant that the earliest an Argentine club side could enter the competition would be 2016. So with no domestic league of note to bring back players to in the interim, they were left in no-man’s land by the body which could and should have done more. SANZAR hadn’t completely cut Argentina adrift, the Tri-Nations was expanded to the Rugby Championship, but it was not a consolidated plan by SANZAR to integrate, both club and country.
So with players still based in the Northern Hemisphere Argentina trudged on regardless, admission to the Rugby Championship came in 2012. It was the beginning of the end of traditional Argentine rugby, the decision to adjust their game to the Southern Hemisphere style was made. In came Daniel Hourcade in 2013 to implement this. By the 2015 World Cup all seemed to be rosy, I witnessed first-hand the new brand of rugby, as Los Pumas dismantled Ireland in the quarter-finals at the Millennium Stadium, winning 43-20. They ran out of steam against Australia in the semi-finals, but they could go home pleased with their efforts, but it’s been downhill, and fast, since.
In the last two Rugby Championship’s Argentina have won just one match, in 2016 they beat South Africa 26-24 and slumped to five defeats, in 2017 it was a whitewash, six losses. They trudged up to Europe for the November internationals and I asked Hourcade whether Argentina had the toughest schedule of any other international side.
“That’s probably one of the biggest problems we have. Last season we travelled 186,000km so probably four times around the world. We’re used to that and it is our reality. We want the competition to play week-by-week and that is what we want and we are really happy about that. We have only just started, two seasons, and we only have 34 professional players,” he said.
“Our problem is not the amount of players we have, it’s the competition we have. We only have one tournament with one team so few players can develop at the top level. We would be better to be in the northern hemisphere but we are not allowed be there.”
“We need three or four teams [laughs].”
But it remains just a single team and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon, particularly with Super Rugby culling sides of late, from South Africa and Australia. Despite Argentina being solely reliant on one team to provide them with their players, there were signs of encouragement this season. The Jaguares, under new head coach Mario Ledesma, are a respectable seventh in the Super Rugby table with eight wins and five defeats from their thirteen matches so far and are currently on a six-match unbeaten run.
But ultimately when you are relying on a mid-table Super Rugby team to form the basis of your international side, it will have repercussions, it’s a step up and it’s a different style of play, particularly playing against Northern Hemisphere sides. Despite the Jaguares recent form in Super Rugby the national team have had a chastening June, beaten 2-0 at home by an under-strength Wales, their first series loss to the Welsh since 1999. The performance in 30-12 second Test reverse was so insipid that Hourcade fell on his sword.
“We (Hourcade and his assistants) think that the message is no longer getting through to the team, we’ve reached the end of a cycle. We assume the responsibility of making this decision, having already mentioned the possibility… before the June Tests”, the 60-year-old said.
Hourcade’s last game will come on Saturday against Scotland, once again his entire 23-man squad are Jaguares players.
So what can change, not much really and that is the concerning part. The amount of travel their players face both through Super Rugby and internationally cannot be altered. The one factor the UAR can modify is their selection policy, currently only South Hemisphere based players are allowed to play for the national team. It is a catastrophic waste to see the likes of Toulon’s Facundo Isa and Racing 92’s Juan Imhoff not being eligible for selection.
The recently-elected UAR President Marcelo Rodriguez is certainly looking at the issue, “It is one of the measures that I will promote in my administration. It’s something that will then have to be discussed and approved through the Council, but I firmly believe that the Pumas have to play the best.”
Since reaching the 2015 World Cup semi’s Argentina have lost 21 of their last 27 games. 2017 saw jut two wins and 10 defeats. 2018 is not looking at all promising either, another Rugby Championship whitewash could be on the cards, with improvements from South Africa and Australia visible in June. Los Pumas been thrown into a tough pool at the 2019 World Cup too, alongside England, France, USA and Tonga. It’s hard to be upbeat if you’re an Argentina supporter.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically. I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
25 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
4 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
4 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to comments