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Jaguares make history after overcoming Chiefs in thrilling Super Rugby quarter-final

By Online Editors
Jeronimo de la Fuente. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)

By Liam Napier, NZ Herald

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Jaguares 21-16 Chiefs

Not to be for the Chiefs. Their inspiring late revival ended in Argentina and so, too, has their season.

No one could fault the Chiefs’ desire and effort. After needing six games to get their first win of this campaign, they have since responded with pure desperation.

Welcoming Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane back certainly helped. But three wins in the final three weeks of the regular season – one brilliant comeback to overturn a 20-point deficit against the Crusaders in Suva – pushed them into the playoffs, against all odds.

Travelling to Buenos Aires, and playing in a hostile, foreign atmosphere, is never easy. Not least when you meet a formidable Jaguares side that has now won 10 of their last 11 matches.

With the World Cup on the horizon, Argentina rugby is building at the right time, and the Jaguares are a big reason for that.

One of their starting XV for this match has not played for Pumas – the same off the bench, too.

Watching a loose forward such as Pablo Matera thunder about makes you appreciate just why this Jaguares team and, indeed, the Pumas are such a threat.

Their defence was outstanding in the second half – the predominant reason why they will be back at home next week to host the semifinal. At one point they repelled 15 phases on their own line before another mistake from the Chiefs let them off the hook.

The passion of Jaguares fans and players at the final whistle showed just how much reaching their first semifinal means to them.

The Chiefs will rue blowing an eight-point second half lead; their error count and poorly malfunctioning lineout throws at crucial times. Their dominant scrum kept them in the game and they had their chances elsewhere, but execution and accuracy, particularly from their pack, let them down.

Truth is, given their horror start to the season, they did well to make it this far.

In their first home playoff match the Jaguares were always going to come out of the blocks quickly. Still, a try after 50 seconds wasn’t expected.

In one of six fist half errors alone from the Chiefs forwards, many coming while attempting tip on passes just before contact, Angus Ta’avao lost the ball which led to Matera opening the scoring.

This continued the early theme. It was all Jaguares. They were patient in building phases and switching the play.

The Chiefs did well to absorb pressure and only concede one first half try. Shaun Stevenson enjoyed roaming on the edge and found space with some nice chips in behind which created field position and, thus chances.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, frequent errors from their pack when in striking distance nullified much of their positive work.

They needed a moment of brilliance from Brad Weber, as has been the case so often of late, to inspire a fightback. One big dummy and break up the middle had Weber giving Lachlan Boshier an inside ball on the way to the line. It was another example of the one test All Blacks halfback pushing his case for World Cup inclusion.

By the end of the first half, the Chiefs had withstood the initial onslaught and worked themselves into a position of strength. Their senior players came to the fore –Retallick with one turnover, Ta’avao two big scrums, Cane with typically huge hits and Anton Lienert-Brown with carries and a turnover, to lead 10-8 at half time.

The Jaguares upped the tempo in the second spell, though, and exposed the Chiefs by giving the ball air to the edges. The Chiefs’ ill-discipline proved costly, too, and their inability to win a lineout became a major issue.

The Chiefs weren’t helped by losing Jack Debreczeni to injury early in the second half. This appeared to disrupt their momentum, somewhat, but it was not the reason they lost.

For Colin Cooper it’s a case of back to the drawing board. This was not an easy campaign to manage, having lost Damian McKenzie, Retallick and Cane for large periods.

Ultimately the Chiefs will take heart from sneaking into the playoffs but expectations are such that more is expected.

Scorers:

Jaguares: Pablo Matera, Matias Moroni tries, Joaquin diaz Bonilla pen 2, con

Chiefs: Lachlan Boshier tries, Jack Debreczeni con, pen 2, Marty McKenzie pen

HT: 8-10

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.

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Jon 1 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”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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