Into The Unkown: Where does the future of the Jaguares and Argentine rugby lie?
In a post-coronavirus world, where does the future of Argentine rugby lie?
That’s the question being asked by those in the South American powerhouse nation as news filters out about the prospect of the Jaguares being left behind in Super Rugby.
The COVID-19 outbreak has not only forced the 2020 Super Rugby season to come to an abrupt halt, but it’s brought on discussions about a competition overhaul.
The five New Zealand franchises will kick-off their own domestic campaign next Saturday, with the four Australian clubs and the Western Force set to follow early next month.
Support has grown in recent times for the two nations to join forces and create a trans-Tasman competition, which could also feature more teams from throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Despite the Sunwolves’ unpopular exit from Super Rugby, alternative competition models have been proposed by prominent rugby figures in both New Zealand and Australia that features a Japanese presence of some kind.
Most recently, All Blacks veteran Sam Whitelock suggested the involvement of the best clubs from the star-studded Top League, which echoes the sentiments of Wallabies great Tim Horan.
The two-time World Cup-winning Australian went one step further, calling for the inclusion of sides from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to add a Pacific element to the competition.
As Australia and New Zealand weigh up a more locally-based future in pursuit of increasing playing quality and fan engagement, murmurings persist of a cross-hemisphere switch by South African clubs.
A fresh report from Rapport indicates that the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers could join Europe’s PRO14, a competition that already features the Cheetahs and Southern Kings, between 2021 and 2023.
Being in line with European time zones and easier access to the UK, Ireland and Italy would act as a key catalyst for a move away from New Zealand and Australia for South Africa’s franchises.
“We have always been very interested in South Africa. We like them and see them as a key part of our future,” PRO14 chief executive Martin Anayi told WalesOnline last week.
“The tournament works well at the moment but could work better if you add teams to it. So that’s one avenue potentially.”
All these options bode well for the futures of the three original SANZAAR unions, but it leaves Argentina, and particularly the Jaguares, in a realm of uncertainty.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Jaguares midfielder Jeronimo de la Fuente revealed the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) have told players at the franchise that they are free to explore their options overseas.
As the sole Argentine club in Super Rugby, coronavirus-enforced travel restrictions have nullified the Jaguares’ playing schedule for the remainder of the year.
Factor in their exclusion from conversations within New Zealand and Australian about an Asia-Pacific competition and South Africa’s imminent excursion into Europe, and the Jaguares are left bare of options of where to go and what to do beyond 2020.
There is hope in that Argentina are tied into SANZAAR’s upcoming broadcast deal that runs from 2021 to 2025, which features a 14-team Super Rugby competition including the Jaguares.
However, the economic and travel implications that have come with the COVID-19 pandemic could alter that course of action.
The suspension of Super Rugby in March, which has left us with almost three months without any rugby, has also allowed for conversations to take place about how the competition can be improved following its gradual decline in quality and interest.
With an over-saturation of playing talent and unappealing time zones across the board just some of the issues at the crux of Super Rugby’s downfall, those discussions have led to the aforementioned solutions for New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Two of the Jaguares’ leading players – Emiliano Boffelli and Julian Montoya – have subsequently been rumoured to depart the Buenos Aires franchise to join clubs in Europe.
Their exits would presumably be the beginning of an avalanche of player departures in what would be a significant blow to Argentinian and Southern Hemisphere rugby.
For a team that has proven its worth in one of the world’s premier club competitions by continually climbing up the table year-on-year since their inception in 2016 to reach the final of last year’s event, this would be a disappointing way to bow out.
The potential and improvements they have shown over the past five seasons have been reflected in their finishing positions in each passing year.
A 13th-place finish in their debut campaign was bettered by three positions in 2017, and the year after that, they made their first appearance in the play-offs after coming in at seventh spot.
An inspired run to the final left them as runners-up of Super Rugby 2019, and although their brief effort this season wasn’t as glittering, the Jaguares last year showcased how Argentine rugby have the potential to be a force to be reckoned with.
Nine wins away from home in their last 10 matches against Australasian opposition – half of which were Kiwi teams – is further evidence of their ability to foot it at the elite level against the best sides.
That glowing potential, which has been hinted at internationally by Argentina’s World Cup semi-final appearances at France 2007 and England 2015, is on the verge of going to waste, though.
Without regular exposure to clubs from any of the three best SANZAAR nations, the quality of competition the Jaguares are exposed to quickly diminishes.
A lack of competition creates an outflux of players abroad, and if that’s what eventuates, then Argentina is effectively back to where they were initially – a nation without a prominent professional club, instead reliant on the services of players from around the globe.
While the national side could still flourish with that set-up, as they did in 2007 and 2015 and as South Africa did en route to the World Cup title last year, the disestablishment of the Jaguares would be a hindrance to the domestic game in Argentina.
The franchise’s existence offers a pathway to professionalism – which is scarce in Argentine rugby – for players both in the country and across South America, and gives them an opportunity to test themselves against some of the planet’s best players.
Take that away, and rugby in Argentina would be taking a hefty step backwards from building on the work that has made the country an established tier one nation.
Perhaps the Jaguares could be preserved in an Americas club format, where they compete against teams from Major League Rugby, a competition that is beginning to blossom in the United States and Canada.
But, even if they dissolved into two professional clubs to create a more competitive league and more avenues into the professional ranks for rising Argentine players, transitioning from Super Rugby to MLR would be a decidedly big drop in quality of competition.
Closer to home, induction into the newly-instated Superliga Americana de Rugby – a six-team South American competition involving an Argentine club called Ceibos based in Cordoba – could be an option to keep the organisation alive.
However, the quality of rugby in the league that spans across Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay would be even less competitive than that of the MLR.
Full-fledged involvement in the Currie Cup could also come into consideration, with the Jaguares XV – the franchise’s development team – plying their trade in the Currie Cup First Division last year.
The second-string Jaguares outfit dominated proceedings in the competition, running away as undefeated champions with nine wins from as many games and a points difference of +364 at the end of the seven-match round-robin.
Promotion into the Currie Cup Premier Division would be an appropriate measure to accomodate a full-strength Jaguares team, but travel between Argentina and South Africa would become rigorous, while fully basing themselves in the Republic would put them at a disadvantage.
Another alternative could be the unlikely inclusion in the potential Asia-Pacific competition being discussed in New Zealand and Australia.
This would maintain an Argentine presence at an elite level, but, despite the on-field value the Jaguares would add to such a competition, the arduous travel from South America to places like Japan and Australia are exactly what the latter nations are trying to avoid.
International travel bans might also still be in place, and the off-putting time zone difference would, in all likelihood, prove to be too big of a hurdle to overcome.
So, the question remains where does the future of Argentine rugby lie?
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure – if the Jaguares left behind by New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, it would be to the detriment of the domestic and continental game in Argentina and South America.
Comments on RugbyPass
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
12 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
12 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments