Argentina will be looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish when they get their Rugby Championship campaign underway on the 20th of July.
Los Pumas will be looking to take advantage of a very kind fixtures draw and improve on their 2018 Rugby Championship finish. The Argentines could well surprise this year with a number of overseas-based players back in the fold.
Fixtures
Round 1
Argentina v New Zealand
Estadio Jose Amalfitani
20:05
Round 2
Australia v Argentina
Suncorp Stadium
11:45
Round 3
Argentina v South Africa
Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena
21:40
2018 Season
The Argentines managed a historic 23-19 victory away to Australia last season’s but still ended the Championship at the foot of the table with their only other victory being an impressive 32-19 home win over a Springbok side that was finding its feet under Rassie Erasmus.
The Argentines finished the 2018 edition of the tournament with a rather sad -47 points differential with two heavy defeats to New Zealand being the main cause for this.
Their pivot Nicolas Sanchez did end the tournament as top points scorer with 67 and the Argentines will once again lean on the Stade Francais man to contribute with the boot.
2019 Form and Chances
Los Pumas have a good chance of producing an improved showing this term as they will be able to select overseas-based players for the first time since the inception of the Jaguares Super Rugby team. They also have deepened their playing squad with a number of young guns stepping up superbly during the Jaguares run to the Super Rugby final.
A lot could hinge on how the Argentines perform away from home this term. While they have been an extremely tough nut to crack on home soil but have only managed two away wins beating South Africa in Durban in 2015 and Australia on the Gold Coast last year. They have been handed a kind draw this year, however, with two home games against New Zealand and South Africa and their away game coming against Australia.
Squad
Forwards
Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Mayco Vivas, Juan Pablo Zeiss, Javier Díaz, Santiago García Botta, Juan Figallo, Ramiro Herrera, Santiago Medrano, Enrique Pieretto, Lucio Sordoni, Agustín Creevy, Julián Montoya, Santiago Socino, Guido Petti, Tomás Lavanini, Matías Alemanno, Lucas Paulos, Pablo Matera, Tomás Lezana, Facundo Isa, Javier Ortega Desio, Marcos Kremer, Rodrigo Bruni, Juan Manuel Leguizamón.
Backs
Tomás Cubelli, Gonzalo Bertranou, Martín Landajo, Felipe Ezcurra, Nicolás Sánchez, Benjamín Urdapilleta, Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Domingo Miotti, Santiago González Iglesias, Jerónimo De La Fuente, Matías Orlando, Matías Moroni, Lucas Mensa, Juan Cruz Mallía, Bautista Ezcurra, Ramiro Moyano, Bautista Delguy, Sebastián Cancelliere, Emiliano Boffelli, Joaquín Tuculet, Manuel Montero, Santiago Carreras
Player to Watch: Jerónimo de la Fuente
The Jaguares skipper has enjoyed a fantastic Super Rugby campaign and will look to carry his form through to the Rugby Championship.
He’s a highly skilled centre who reads the game brilliantly. He’s also lead the Jaguares defensive line with aplomb this term and his organisational skills will be vital to his national side’s cause.
Verdict: Top Two Finish
This year’s tournament is likely to be a very tight one as it’s only three rounds long. With the Jaguares playing two home games, they could well register their best finish, and could even provide a major shock by claiming the title.
