Even though the opener of the 2014 Rugby Championship is less than two months away, Argentina have already started preparations for the competition. .
New coach Daniel Hourcade is now training the Pumas for the June internationals against Ireland and Scotland
The squad for the June internationals will likely consist of those not playing in Europe, those whose contracts have ended or released by European clubs, and players that mainly ply their trade in Argentina’s domestic competitions.
Within the squad for the games against Ireland and Scotland are players with international experience, but also those who won the IRB Pacific Cup with the Pampas XV back in March.
Among the line-up are some very experienced players such as halfback pairing Martin Landajo and Nicolas Sanchez, fullback Joaquín Tuculet and winger Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino. They will play an integral part for the Pumas against Ireland in the two-Test series in Resistencia and Tucuman before facing Scotland in Cordoba on June 21.
While the players contesting the June internationals will vie for spots for Argentina’s Rugby Championship squad, Daniel Hourcade has already made his mark when selecting his European based players for his Rugby Championship squad.
The 13-strong European contingent selected has omitted several veterans of the Argentinean team. Omitted from the list include players such as Toulouse lock Patricio Albacete, Leicester prop Marcos Ayerza, Bayonne utility back Santiago Fernandez and Leicester winger’s Gonzalo Camacho.
Santiago Fernandez has decided to stay with Bayonne during pre-season instead of turning out for Argentina, while Gonzalo Camacho is out with a shoulder injury and needs surgery.
The omission of Albacete and Ayerza are real surprises. Both are veterans of the team who provide power and real presence in the Argentine pack. Albacete was part of the Pumas’ brilliant run to third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, while Ayerza has emerged himself as a top loosehead prop in recent years.
Though Hourcade did say those playing in Europe after the 2015 World Cup (but coinciding with Argentina’s entry into Super Rugby in early 2016) would not be considered for national selection, Pumas captain Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Juan Imhoff and Ramiro Herrera have contracts with French Top 14 sides into 2016.
One underlying reason why Albacete and Ayerza have been cut from the Rugby Championship squad could be internal. Albacete was the vice-captain in 2012, but it was the Toulouse lock that led the supposed coup d’etat which caused the lack of unity in the Pumas squad and the sudden resignation of Santiago Phelan as Pumas head coach in October.
Moreover, Ayerza and Santiago Fernandez were reported to be part of the Albacete camp who were displeased by Phelan’s conservative methods.
Hourcade is known for his ruthlessness and is not afraid to make wholesale changes if needed, adopting a zero tolerance on those players that do not adhere to his standards.
The other European based players selected have all enjoyed a good season. Fernandez Lobbe won the Heineken Cup with Toulon on the weekend, Imhoff and Juan Martin Hernandez rediscovered their form in the Top 14 playoffs with Racing Metro, prop Ramiro Herrera has been solid for Castres with a game against Toulon in the Top 14 final as a result, and Marcelo Bosch is in inspired form in the centre with Saracens.
With the omission and injury of veterans who have played for Argentina in the first two seasons of the Rugby Championship, newcomers and youngsters can put their hand up for the Pumas in the run-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
While Santiago Phelan was reluctant to blood youngsters into his side, Hourcade is the opposite. While coaching the Pampas XV in their Vodacom Cup triumph in 2011, he picked a team composed of youngsters that played fast attacking rugby. Among the youngsters that won the Vodacom Cup in 2011 are many playing for Argentina now including Agustin Creevy, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Joaquin Tuculet and Leonardo Senatore.
Among the national pool are several youngsters that could impress in the June internationals and be in Argentina’s Rugby Championship squad. This includes searing pace of 19-year-old Santiago Cordero, the return of powerful winger Manuel Montero, the trickery of young fly-half Patricio Fernandez (who will be at the Junior World Championship in New Zealand) along with bulking young props Matias Diaz and Lucas Noguera Paz.
Though Hourcade has omitted the big names in Albacete and Ayerza, he is looking to give his youngsters a chance and prepare them for the World Cup. Many of these youngsters will play in Super Rugby come 2016, so these are important years for them to get experience in top level competitions before entering the cauldron of Super Rugby.
No doubt the 2014 Rugby Championship is important for the Pumas, and the June internationals will see where his team is in the run up to the Rugby Championship.
But playing Ireland and Scotland is certainly a different kettle of fish to facing South Africa, Australia and the All Blacks.
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