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The future of Argentina - Superpower or forever an Enigma?

By Ben Smith
Is Argentina destined to become or Superpower of World Rugby or remain an enigma?

The plight of Argentinean rugby has been one of the game’s most intriguing stories since the turn of the millennium.

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The country has been the South American darling in a region that is rugby’s greatest growth opportunity. Argentina’s roll of over 100,000 registered players is producing players with athletic prowess and natural attacking flair to rival any nation.

The unbridled potential is undeniable; the Los Pumas could be a superpower of the game but could just as easily continue to be the enigma it has proven to be.

Going from an afterthought without a ‘home’, they became World Cup wonders placing third in 2007. The battle for a place in one of the world’s top competitions ensued to ensure the team could continue to play top-level international competition. After finding the door closed to the Six Nations they were let into the Rugby Championship in 2012.

Despite that breakthrough, they did not have a club team playing in SAANZAR’s Super Rugby competition until 2016. Their eligibility rules meant those who wanted to play for the Pumas had to stay home despite not having a suitable professional competition to play in.

This was not the ideal foundation for an annual competition against the old powers of the Wallabies, Springboks and the All Blacks. Nevertheless, early results were promising with growing competitiveness. Another strong World Cup showing in 2015 had the world on notice and their future looked bright.

However, the arrival of the Jaguares the following season coincided with an alarming slide for the national team winning just one game in the next two Rugby Championships and losing 21 of 27 games since the 2015 World Cup.

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Head coach Daniel Hourcade, who had overseen Argentina since 2013, was on the chopping block. It may have been a case that Hourcade had taken this team as far as he could, as he explained to RugbyPass “the message is no longer getting through to the team, we’ve reached the end of a cycle.”

The same voice over and over again had seemingly lost its impact. He was sacked and replaced by Jaguares coach Mario Ledesma in August, a previous assistant to Michael Cheika’s Wallabies, which has given the Pumas the shot in the arm it needed.

In a rapid turnaround, the future the Pumas once promised is now showing again, a worrying sign for Northern Hemisphere teams ahead of next year’s World Cup.

This has been a breakthrough Rugby Championship under Ledesma and the historic win on Australian soil could be the tipping point for the side.

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The downward trajectory of the Wallabies may have finally crossed paths with the upward one of the Pumas, the result on the Gold Coast symbolic of the state of the game in both countries, one in decline and one in growth.

For years, New Zealand fans have watched the Pumas put together a solid half of rugby, perhaps 50 minutes, before failing to stay with the All Blacks. The Wallabies have done it too, but without the flair and X-factor that the South Americans have.

They show unrefined and raw skills, with the kind of natural talent that can construct the sort of tries that leaves spectators in awe. An Argentina vs. All Blacks game now offers a far more entertaining spectacle now than a Bledisloe Cup match, but can’t yet offer the historical significance that Australia does.

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The dire state of the Wallabies play shows a nation that has regressed, failing to cultivate skill-based play in the modern era. They have configured robots to play in rigid structures, removing autonomous decision-making from the player’s repertoire. This player must pass to this player and so on, regardless of what’s in front of them.

On top of that, the basic ball handling skills are far below the required standard and the small details required to implement structured attacking plans are missing.

The Pumas were on the other end of the spectrum, playing with freedom and daring enterprise without the strategic balance of structured play and, at times, sound decision-making. Which means their future promises so much more – if they can harness that talent, the ceiling is untapped.

There will continue to be challenges, such as the travel toll on many of the players who play for both the Jaguares and Pumas, which may also explain the dip in the national side’s results as their players adjusted to life in Super Rugby.

“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,” said Houcarde in November 2017.

That is also why the 23-19 win over the Wallabies is significant – it was on the road, showing the side is starting to get comfortable with the demands put on them.

They are still a long way off the All Blacks, who trot out an experimental lineup or ‘B’ side every time they play them, but they may have surpassed Australia. They need to back up their performances so far and finish strong with another win over Australia, as well as another competitive showing against the All Blacks.

If they do come away with their third and biggest scalp this weekend, it will show the doubters that they belong in the Rugby Championship once and for all, but this year should have already proved that.

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J
Jon 7 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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j
john 9 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.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 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

39 Go to comments
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