[2017 Super Rugby] Round 18: Rebels vs. Jaguares (14/07/2017)

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I sincerely can't even dream at this point. The only improvement i've seen between the Jaguares 2017 and their 2016 version is on paper. We've got better stats but that has to do more with the competition than with ourselves. Subtract our wins vs Aus teams Reds/Waratahs/Rebels and our performance is the actually worse than in 2016 (i'm saying subtract because we lost all our games vs NZ teams in 2016).

Both seasons have a common denominator, thou. Every single close game we've had ("partido chivo", think Stormer or Chiefs in 2016, Sharks or Stormers 2017) we choke.
The only "tough" games we had in 2017 were against clearly inferior oposition (Force and Kings).

 

[Horacito]

I do not agree. I think Jaguares has shown some improvement.

Does anybody have the yellow/red card number of both years? I think this year was better at that.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Good point! Forgot about that. I'm pretty sure you are right about YC/RCs.

I was going to say defense and scrummaging look (way) worse to me, but it might be me speculating a bit. I've got no stats for the scrummaging and regarding defense, this is the only stat i've got.

Points agains
2016: 427
2017: 386

Lets round the difference in 40 points. That means that we received 40 points less in 2017, but we played against 5 Aus teams instead of 5 NZ teams. The question becomes then, if you play against a NZ team, is it more or less likely that you receive more than 8 points than you did against an Australian team (8 = 40 points / 5 teams).
Instinctively i'd say yes, without a doubt.

I'd LOVE to say/believe we've improved. I want them to succeed, but the evidence i see strongly suggest we've only faced weaker opposition.
We can disagree, of course!

 

[Horacito]

No problem man,
I think defense looks as bad as last year, just some matches had good moments of defense. However, I think it did improve from last year, it just happens to be that tackles did not. So much focusing on individual attacking skills and nobody cares for defensive skills, something our players lack quite enourmously. But I don't think that qualifies as defense, it's just the skill defense requires of, but not defense itself. Defense, as I understand it, is the set of tactics, etc, toghether with its execution and so; I think, in general, the Jaguares have improved their defense, it's just that they had lapses in which they lost their focus. But I could say the same about their attack: they really missed focus in some of the phases of the attack, should I say their attack has improved/ gotten worse because they scored less tries? I don't think so. Their attack will have improved the day it does not work on waves of greatness and terrible depressions of bad passing, poor decissions and Martín Landajo, the man of the hour. At least Cubelli is IN so we have that to look forward to.

Cheers mate

 

[Superalexmarket]

And the new coach of Jaguares is.... Mario Ledesma. A man with a strong character, we'll see the relationship with Hourcade how it works.