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Brumbies miss opportunity to go back-to-back on the road going down to the Jaguares

By Online Editors
Jaguares celebrate while the Brumbies look dejected

The Brumbies have missed a golden opportunity to win back-to-back Super Rugby games on tour after going down 20-15 to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.

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The Brumbies could have gone top of the Australian conference but were made to rue several missed opportunities in an error-riddled second half.

Captain Christian Lealiifano admitted the game was there to be won and said his men must improve for the final six games of the season if they want to play finals.

“The Jaguares put us under a lot of pressure today. They were very physical. We had our opportunities there but just didn’t capitalise,” he said.

“We just have to be better in our attack shape, we had some opportunities, we just weren’t in position early enough to be able to execute.

“We’ve just got to keep getting better, this is a tough competition. I’m proud of the effort but we’ll need to regroup.”

The Brumbies flew out of the blocks in Argentina but it was one of their f ormer players who set up the opening try against the run of play.

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Jaguares halfback Tomas Cubelli broke the line and kicked through for winger Sebastian Cancelliere to score on three minutes.

The Brumbies hit straight back with a lineout trick play as hooker Folau Faingaa went down the blindside and crossed for his seventh try of the season.

The visitors took the lead when halfback Matt Lucas, who made the most of his first start this season, hit Tom Banks on the perfect line and the fullback went through untouched to score a five-pointer.

The Jaguares drew level in controversial fashion when Matias Olando appeared to be tackled by Pete Samu but kept scampering to the line to score.

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It was sent upstairs but given the green light on the half hour and the Jaguares took a 17-15 lead into the break.

It was an arm wrestle in the second 40 minutes and the Jaguares extended their lead with a 61st-minute penalty.

Jaguares flanker Marcos Kremer was yellow carded for a professional foul in the 65th minute but the Brumbies couldn’t make the most of the man advantage and turn pressure into points.

It was a frustrating finish for the Brumbies as several errors robbed them any chance of victory, but the home side also appeared to simply want the win more.

2019 Rugby World Cup city guide – Osaka:

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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