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Cheika looking for 'triple playmaker' model with Los Pumas as injury crisis stings
Having been extremely well served over the past few Rugby World Cups at halfback and flyhalf, Argentina will be praying that fitness to key players don’t derail their campaign.
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When Michael Cheika announced his 48-man squad late last week he selected four scrumhalves, most of whom are far from match fit.
Tomás Cubelli, with 88 caps to his name, played only five games in the 2022-23 season, of which only two were from the start. As beautiful as the city is, Biarritz Olympique is a shadow of the side it once was in the heydays of Serge Blanco.
Finishing eleventh in the second division is not the ideal preparation for a World Cup.
Gonzalo Bertranou, whose next test will be his fiftieth, last played in January. First choice for most of last year, he is expected to be fit in time for The Rugby Championship after an operation at the start of the year.
Walking with a limp a couple of weeks ago, Gonzalo García (first capped in 2021) after recovering from a shoulder injury broke knee ligaments last December. He hasn’t played this year.
Finally, Olympic bronze medalist Lautaro Bazán Vélez, who made the transition from sevens to fifteens straight after Tokyo 2020, played four minutes against Scotland in the last of his three caps, all in 2022.
He has been playing club rugby in Italy outside of the United Rugby Championship, and is the only scrumhalf to have completed the recently finished European season.
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“In certain positions, we might obviously need players from outside the 48-man squad due to injury,” Cheika said in a Spanish that is getting better with time, to ESPN’s Scrum.
“We have options outside of this list, but only if we need them because of injury, not because of performance.”
With a possible injury crisis at hooker, nine and ten, a number of players have been given specific fitness regimes.
“Bertranou is fit and has been working very hard since being cleared of his injury. With regards to Cubelli, he has a different training schedule, as he is older.”
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García is expected to be fit, but currently is behind the other three players and Bazán Vélez, who “has a winning mentality, is still transitioning from sevens to fifteens,” in the words of his coach.
Three players are in the fly-half box. The biggest name is 34 year-old Nicolás Sánchez, who could play in his fourth Rugby World Cup.
Top points-scorer in 2015, tormentor in Los Pumas’ first ever win against the All Blacks in 2020, and one of the world’s best paid players when he moved to Stade Français, his star is no longer as bright as it once was.
Five caps shy of 100, he had only played one game for the Parisian club in the 22-23 season when released to Brive. He played 16 games at the club, scoring 120 points yet his team was relegated to the ProD2.
Expected to start at 10 in most games is Santiago Carreras. A utility back, he has recently owned the role for Argentina, with Sánchez injured or playing below his best. For Gloucester, he played at 10, 15 and as wing.
Third in line is Tomás Albornoz, who had a good season for Treviso.
“I need three playmakers in the team,” he said. And if to make his message clear, he said in English: “If you want to be a good playmaker, you have to be able to carry the ball.”
In Cheika’s first year in the role, the foundations for how he wants his team to play the game were set. “This year, it is about putting our opponents under pressure by attacking them. I want my team to attack with the ball.”
“For that,” says the former Randwick number eight, “we need to ensure we dominate defensively, at the breakdown and the scrum.”
The pack will be huge and with options in every position. Captained by the efficient and prolific Julián Montoya, thirteen players will be aiming for their second, third and even fourth, in the case of former captain Agustín Creevy, Rugby World Cup.
Included in the squad are the two Argentines that played in Super Rugby Pacific: prop Santiago Medrano, a regular in Western Force’s front-row, and Martín Bogado, who played four consecutive games at wing for the Highlanders before being struck by injury.
He is one of only three uncapped players, the other two being the sevens stars Rodrigo Isgró and Luciano González.
“We think they can make the transition the quickest from sevens to fifteen in time for Rugby World Cup.”
“We won’t pressure them into being ready in two weeks; we have until August 6th when we name the World Cup squad.”
“We are aiming for them to be successful.”
What will success look like for Argentina.
In the words of someone that has coached teams to European Cup and Super Rugby glory and to a Rugby World Cup semi-final, “we must prepare in the best possible way so that we prepared to win the World Cup.”
Argentina’s Rugby Championship squad:
Props: Eduardo Bello (10 caps), Ignacio Calles (2 caps), Thomas Gallo (13 caps), Francisco Gómez Kodela (28 caps), Santiago Medrano (32 caps), Joel Sclavi (9 caps) Lucio Sordoni (3 caps), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (76 caps), Mayco Vivas (17 caps)
Hookers: Facundo Bosch (13 caps), Agustín Creevy (97 caps), Julián Montoya (capitán – 85 caps), Santiago Socino (8 caps), Ignacio Ruiz (4 caps)
Locks: Matías Alemanno (84 caps), Lucas Paulos (10 caps), Guido Petti (73 caps), Tomás Lavannini (78 caps)
Loose forwards: Marcos Kremer (56 caps), Pedro Rubiolo (1 cap), Juan Martín González (20 caps), Santiago Grondona (10 caps), Facundo Isa (44 caps), Pablo Matera (91 caps), Joaquín Oviedo (1 cap), Rodrigo Bruni (18 caps)
Scrumhalves: Lautaro Bazán Vélez (3 caps), Gonzalo Bertranou (49 caps), Tomás Cubelli (88 caps), Gonzalo García (3 caps)
Flyhalves: Tomás Albornoz (3 caps), Santiago Carreras (31 caps), Nicolás Sánchez (95 caps)
Backs: Jerónimo de la Fuente (74 caps), Santiago Chocobares (11 caps), Lucio Cinti (12 caps), Luciano González (uncapped), Matías Moroni (69 caps), Matías Orlando (57 caps), Martín Bogado (uncapped), Sebastián Cancelliere (13 caps), Mateo Carreras (7 caps), Santiago Cordero (49 caps), Bautista Delguy (25 caps), Juan José Imhoff (41 caps), Rodrigo Isgró (uncapped), Emiliano Boffelli (50 caps) y Juan Cruz Mallía (24 caps)
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments