[2014 EOYT] Argentina

[Jaguares]

Schedule:

Week 1 vs Scotland in Murrayfield

Week 2 vs Italy in Genoa

Week 3 vs France in Saint-Denis

Pumas Squad:

 

[Guilty]

Expecting the Pumas to be riding high full of confidence after their victory over Australia. The Pumas should get it done over both Scotland and Italy. The French tests are always impossible to call depending on whether they show up but I think the Pumas have a decent chance to sweep their NH tour.

 

[Wendigo7]

Scotland will be their hardest game.

That is Vern Cotter's first game in charge at Murrayfield. Strong off an independence lost but nationalism rife, I can't see Argentina winning that game.

They will definitely win the other 2 though.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Scotland should be quite easy, Italy very easy and France will likely win so 2 from 3.

 

[Guilty]

Conrad, what was the reaction like in Argentina to the Puma's getting their first and much deserved win of the RC? I've seen you post about how rugby is seen as a game for the elite and wealthy in Argentina but surely the reaction was favorable?

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Scotland should be quite easy, Italy very easy and France will likely win so 2 from 3.

wait scotland are easy ?, no chance at all that is true remember we beat them in the summers even if it we were playing a 'b' side, yes argentina in November will have a much better squad then but it will not be easy as scotland will have they're best optional squad aswell, i will think it will be an argentinian win but it will not be easy for them.

 

[Imagine]

Argentina definitely has what it takes to win all 3 games, I wouldn't say that it will be easy but, I rate Argentina will win 3 from 3.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

wait scotland are easy ?, no chance at all that is true remember we beat them in the summers even if it we were playing a 'b' side, yes argentina in November will have a much better squad then but it will not be easy as scotland will have they're best optional squad aswell, i will think it will be an argentinian win but it will not be easy for them.

I missed that, I was basing it on the last games I saw for Scotland and Italy which were in the 6 nations. Argentina would have beaten both of those without too much trouble.

 

[Jaguares]

Conrad, what was the reaction like in Argentina to the Puma's getting their first and much deserved win of the RC? I've seen you post about how rugby is seen as a game for the elite and wealthy in Argentina but surely the reaction was favorable?

Well, Soccer Media here is like Rugby League Media in Australia, they always find a reason to criticize the rugby, some famous journalists have much hatred against rugby as Aussie League journalists against the Wallabies. So many of them said: "In the Rugby Championship so far the Pumas have 16 losses, 1 draw and 1 win, is a failure, the Pumas are losers". The same old story, they hate our sport and don't want the rugby to grow. They see rugby as a threat to football, then any success of rugby, they will minimize. If the Pumas aren't world champions, the Pumas are losers.

However the historic victory of Pumas over Australia served to silence the voices of football supporters, they celebrated the 2 tries of Wallabies and when the game was 0-14 in favor of Australia, social networks exploded with many festivities against our national team by football supporters. Those voices were silenced by the great victory.
:sex011:

 

[Horacito]

I'm very sad we're not getting a game against England this year, would be absolutely epic to have a shot in Twickenham, specially after last year's defeat.

Let's see if I can get to go to Scotland or Italy, tickets are very expensive in France, obviously.

I think we'll win over all of them: we have played more recently than all of them, there is a great inertia going on, and our game is far less predictable than other years; it depends largely in the squad Hourcade will use, because if the backs are montero, imhoff, bosch, Hernández and Horacito, I see great chance of breaking their defensive line many times; if he is a bit conservative, depending on how they start the match, they'll be desperated and will commit massive penalties, give bad passes and deffensive flaws. Is all about tuning some AB's mentality and try to be clinical.

Of course we'll fail at that, so I expect massive disappointment in many areas of the game.

 

[Jaguares]

Let's see if I can get to go to Scotland or Italy, tickets are very expensive in France, obviously.

How much does a ticket cost in France?

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I think we'll win over all of them: we have played more recently than all of them, there is a great inertia going on, and our game is far less predictable than other years;

Generally it's usual to say you have momentum rather than inertia. Technically it's correct but the connotations in English with inertia is struggling to get something moving rather than continuing, it's generally used as a negative.

 

[Horacito]

Generally it's usual to say you have momentum rather than inertia. Technically it's correct but the connotations in English with inertia is struggling to get something moving rather than continuing, it's generally used as a negative.

Thans for the tip

@Conrad

The prices I've been looking are placed between 150 and 300 pounds, pretty expensive if you add the hotel, the flight and aditional staff. Around 300-400 € the whole thing. For one test match. Is my foult for trying it few weeks before the game, if I would do this erlier it would be easier.

 

[Horacito]

Squad confirmed:

Forwards: Matías Alemanno, Marcos Ayerza, Rodrigo Báez, Matías Cortese, Agustín Creevy, Juan Fernández Lobbe, Juan Cruz Guillemaín, Ramiro Herrera, Santiago Iglesias Valdez, Tomás Lavanini, Juan Leguizamón, Benjamín Macome, Lucas Noguera Paz, Guido Petti, Leonardo Senatore y Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.

Backs: Horacio Agulla, Marcelo Bosch, Santiago Cordero, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Lucas González Amorosino, Santiago González Iglesias, Juan Hernández, Juan Imhoff, Martín Landajo, Manuel Montero, Matías Moroni, Nicolás Sánchez y Joaquín Tuculet

Absolutely no surprise: obviously Hourcade is looking for victory by playing with all the players he already knows, no experiment, no new faces in the start lineup.

I'll be looking forward to watch Cordero, Moroni, Petti and Guillemaín. Petti is only 19, Moroni is already known for his seven championships, Valdez already played with the Pumas, and I think Hourcade is yearning to try his own Shane Williams AKA Santiago Cordero.

I would say the starting XV...

AYERZA
CREEVEY
HERRERA
LAVANINI
ALEMANNO
LOBBE
LEGUIZAMÃ"N
SENATORE
LANDAJO
SÃNCHEZ
BOSCH
HERNÃNDEZ
MONTERO
AGULLA
TUCULET

Sure Cordero is going to play every game, I'm so sure Hourcade loves his game. Moroni has some pace and speed, so could be a threat and, unlike Montero, he actually tackles. I hope he gives minutes to Cubelli.

I'm so sad Gonzalo Camacho is not available... is he going to be in the broadcast like in the RC?

 

[Jaguares]

 

[MartinS]

Conrad, what was the reaction like in Argentina to the Puma's getting their first and much deserved win of the RC? I've seen you post about how rugby is seen as a game for the elite and wealthy in Argentina but surely the reaction was favorable?

Guilty, for one, the deserved and long waited win was received very well - especialy because many were very skeptical with the new Pumas coaching staff - With only 8 moths on the rudder Daniel Hourcade has shown a superb job - He is a firm believer that the team needs to be aggressive in attack as in defence, and during may stages of the games he achieved it. This was the first RCH in which Argentina played the 80 minutes! Now they need to consolidate and get more international exposure for the new players in the rooster. The High Performance Plan started in 2009 by the UAR is proving to be very succesful - The RCH rooster had only 13 fully professional players and 13 who play localy as amateur. As to your comment regarding Rugby being seen as a "game for the elite and wealthy", this used to be the case, but NOT today - Slowly but steadily it is becoming much more popular. I do not have the stats, but I am sure that there are well over 100,000 registered players and growing.