ZCZc
BSP-05
RUGBYU-RC-2019-ARG-NZL
Argentina pick 13 Jaguares to face All Blacks
BUENOS AIRES, July 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma
on Thursday named 13 players from beaten Super Rugby finalists the Jaguares
in his team to face New Zealand in the Rugby Championship this weekend.
Only Stade Francais fly-half Nicolas Sanchez and Saracens prop Juan Figallo
did not start the Jaguares’ 19-3 defeat to New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders
in Christchurch.
But while All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has decided to rest eight Crusaders
stars and name five uncapped players in his 23-man matchday squad, Ledesma is
looking to harness the momentum of the free-flowing Jaguares in search of a
first ever win over the three-time world champions.
“Our main aim is to give the guys the opportunity to express themselves in
the best possible way,” said Ledesma in explaining his selection.
“In that sense, the guys who’ve come here with the recent inertia of the
Jaguares are the priority.
“And then there’s guys who’ve come from abroad, they have to be physically
ready to give their all against the All Blacks and bring their experience, so
it’s a mixture of the two.
“But the (Jaguares) guys are already familiar with the system.”
It’s an experienced line-up from Ledesma, with 10 players boasting at least
40 caps.
Hooker Agustin Creevy, 34, will make his 84th appearance, leaving him third
overall and just three short of the all-time caps record of former fly-half
Felipe Contepomi.
There is no place for in-form Bordeaux-Begles winger Santiago Cordero
despite his inclusion in Ledesma’s preliminary Rugby World Cup squad.
While the Jaguares won 11 of their last 13 Super Rugby matches, Argentina
won only two of 12 internationals in 2018.
Argentina need a good showing in the Rugby Championship to maintain the
confidence generated by their franchise’s run, not least because they face a
tough World Cup group alongside England, France, the US and Tonga.
This is a competition in which Argentina have finished bottom in six of
their seven participations.
The only time they didn’t was in the last World Cup year when the teams
played each other only once rather than twice — as will be the case this
year.
A home victory over winless South Africa saw them finish third.
It will be the fourth time Argentina host New Zealand at the Jose
Amalfitani stadium, where the three previous occasions produced similar
results: 35-17, 36-10 and 36-17.
Argentina (15-1)
Emiliano Boffelli; Matias Moroni, Matias Orlando, Jeronimo de la Fuente,
Ramiro Moyano; Nicolas Sanchez, Tomas Cubelli; Javier Ortega Desio, Marcos
Kremer, Pablo Matera (capt); Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti; Juan Figallo,
Agustin Creevy, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Mayco Vivas, Santiago Medrano, Matias
Alemanno, Tomas Lezana, Felipe Ezcurra, Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, Joaquin Tuculet
Coach: Mario Ledesma
BSS/AFP/GMR/0900 hrs