Argentina were one of the surprises of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, even if their style of play was not particularly enjoyable to watch, and they can progress just as far in 2015 if their recent improvements are anything to go by.
They made good progress in 2007, getting as far as finishing in third-place. They managed through a good set-piece, a strong, well-executed kicking game and good kick-chase, and an excellent breakdown game. Their back row are always ferociously competitive, and always prove to be tough opponents in this facet of the game against even the best back rowers in the world.
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However, they have added new dimensions to their game since 2007.
Argentina have been on an upward curve since the last Rugby World Cup, which is in part due to their inclusion in The Rugby Championship.
Since the last World Cup, they have retained their solid set-pieces, strong kicking game, and competitiveness at the breakdown, but have also shown an ability to retain the ball in hand over several phases, and work their way up the field.
In their more recent games, they have showed much more variation in attack, particularly in their backline, with more player movement off the ball, improved running lines, an improved skill set, as well as a better awareness of how to bring players into the line at different angles.
Nicolás Sánchez has matured into a fine international outside half, performing well against the likes of Aaron Cruden, Bernard Foley, and Handré Pollard in The Rugby Championship.
In 2012 and 2013, they appeared to be quite fatigued once it came to the November series, which was due to playing a higher number of Test matches per year. However, it appears that they have overcome this fatigue in their most recent November series, even managing a win on French soil, albeit against a woeful French team.
Despite that outstanding victory, their other performances in that series were not particularly good, and were characterised by the previously mentioned end-of-year fatigue. They endured a loss to Scotland in their first game, which looked like a major setback, although it must be noted that Scotland’s performance have improved significantly with the introduction of their new head coach, Vern Cotter.
They followed this loss up with an unconvincing two-point win over Italy, before raising their performance levels to beat the French. This mixed bag of performances and results will not give them much confidence, but they have five Tests to play between now and the beginning of the World Cup, which should give them plenty of time to find consistency.
They have unearthed a potentially world-class winger in the form of Manuel Montero, but they need to get him more involved in the game in order to get the most out of his size and devastating power. He is an excellent finisher out wide, but he could make more of an impact if he was brought into midfield to wreak havoc, or given a chance to run at opposition out-halves.
Looking ahead to next year’s World Cup, Argentina do not have an easy pool, with New Zealand and Tonga being their biggest obstacles to reaching the knockout stages.
However, they will most likely qualify as runners-up from their pool. This will mean a quarter-final against the winner of Pool D, which will most likely be either Ireland or France, two teams which they have performed favourably against in past World Cups.
A semi-final spot is a realistic possibility for Argentina, and if they can put their newfound match fitness and knowledge from The Rugby Championship to good use, they have every chance of progressing even further.
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