COVID-19 left issues that still persist in the high-performance competition in the southern hemisphere.
The suspension of Super Rugby devastated the South African franchises and did the same with the Argentine Jaguares, who were unable to enter level competitions that would allow them to retain their talents.
This detonated in a drop in the sports performance of Los Pumas, who had to go back to a state of affairs where their players were distributed in the four cardinal points.
Reconsidering the game of Los Pumas is today a priority for their new coach, Michael Cheika.
We all know that games are won with points. The most deficient aspect of the game in the Mario Ledesma era was the low attacking performance.
During the 2021 campaign, with 12 matches played, only 29.5 per cent of the visits to opposition’s 22-metre zone were converted into tries.
That is truly alarming if you take into account that we had levels of effectiveness of 14 per cent in the Rugby Championship, the main hemispheric competition in Argentina.
A decreasing degree of cohesion resulted in unstable sports performance for Los Pumas, since Argentina has today the largest number of its players operating outside the country and that ingredient brings great instability when formulating a competitive team.
Precisely, the lack of cohesion in the axis of game distributors nine-ten-12-13, accentuated by Mario Ledesma’s work program that did not consolidate a proposal based on the stability of the game creators, contributed uncertainty in the fight for the positions and detracted from the depth that Los Pumas once displayed.
The axis of Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Carreras, Jerónimo de la Fuente and Matías Moroni was repeated only 25 per cent of the times during 2021.
But complications arose when trying to improvise a playmaker in Santiago Carreras, who usually plays as a wing or fullback in his European destination.
Today reality hits hard at home for Los Pumas with the urgent call to build a game model that is sustainable over time and flexible to ensure the road to the 2023 World Cup.
But the old problems could condition the new coach.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
The Pumas have shown a certain trend in stabilising their defensive system since 2020, as well as in the breakdown, whose trend ranges between 94 per cent and 96 per cent effectiveness.
But this is not enough, since the deficit lies in the impossibility of finding important variants of attack that allow complementing the one-three-three-one pattern, frequently used with greater dynamism and unpredictability.
The defence will be essential to sustain Los Pumas and from there the entire structure of the game should be built, along with an improvement in discipline.
During 2021, Argentina conceded 157 penalties (13 per game), which at the Test match level is a difficult number to maintain and incredible work material for the benefit of the opponents.
But the pending account for Los Pumas continues to be securing and obtaining balls both in scrums and lineouts.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
The scrummaging of Los Pumas worries everyone after the 77.8 per cent effectiveness shown in the autumn series in 2021 that made any quality attack originating from that platform impossible.
The lineout also doesn’t look good at 85 per cent accuracy. Both facets of the game will need to be quickly deconstructed for the July friendlies in Argentina and the upcoming Rugby Championship.
The reconstruction of Los Pumas’ game is possible considering that the limitations they face are hard and real.
But facing this year in Argentina are Scotland (three Tests), Australia (two Tests) and South Africa (one Test), something that had not happened for almost three years.
That could push things down a more urgent path.
Pumafan
Guest
Domingo Miotti is fine, but he looks like he has outside back instincts
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Fortunately we have some depth in several key positions. We just need continuity and a good master plan, adaptable and configurable. Today the word has Cheika.
Darren WA
Roar Rookie
It will be sad to Medrano leave for Europe, we have been lucky to have him here.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
That's right Darren...! Medrano's continuity in FOR would be assured. But he will continue his career in Europe in 2023, much closer to the eyes of Cheika and the national team. ARG has developed depth in its ranks thanks to the work of Jaguares, the Seven a side teams and the activity of the academies. the problem is that we can not contain those talents.
Darren WA
Roar Rookie
Medrano has been doing a great job in the scrum with the Force, (in Perth) I'm sure can help out in the scrum.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
The favorite of many to succeed Mario Ledesma, including me, was Gonzalo Quesada. Former Puma, former FRA kicking game coach, former Jaguares head coach and currently Stade Francais sporting director. He knows cohesion and player development and knows the keys to developing dynamic and ambitious rugby. He has shown it in SuperRugby and in the demanding French Top14. Perhaps a second stage after RWC2023 will have him as the protagonist. I love your preferences for Los Pumas.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Thanks adsa…! The idea of the directors of the UAR is the same as you suggest. Hire an experienced man until RWC2023 and then appoint Felipe Contepomi as Head Coach. He is an ‘open secret’ in Argentina. If Cheika achieves his goals we all win, but if he moves away from that path we will never be worse off than we are now. The effectiveness metrics are quite eloquent and do not favor us.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
Cheika is crazy enough to work for Los Pumas in a short-term campaign. His ability to rally players in the short term is excellent as the Wallyb's found in his first RWC. Fours years later his second RWC campaign was pathetic. Work him then punt him and have Contepomi taking notes along the way on the does and don'ts. Your in for a roller coaster ride of emotions Francisco!
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Francisco Whatever coach Ledesma's was lacking Argentina have made a terrible mistake in replacing him with Cheika imo. He's much worse, doesn't understand Argentine culture and doesn't speak spanish either. If you wanted a coach who'd apply consistency in selection, good selection and good defensive systems Argentina should never have appointed Cheika. He's terrible in these areas. Los Pumas will go down fast under Cheika. Cheika will find a bunch of poorly performing favourites who laugh at his jokes and pick them irrespective of form. He'll not develop any of your young players either and blame the Referee for all your losses. You'll score a few tries and but leak many many more. I'm a Los Puma fan but it was a terrible mistake appointing Cheika.
Wigeye
Guest
:thumbup: :thumbup:
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Hi Wigeye...! In Argentina it is common knowledge that Cheika's job is to lead Los Pumas until RWC2023, while preparing Felipe Contepomi to succeed him in office. If Cheika gets the real respect of the players and manages to overcome the obstacles, he will have our respect. But if he fails, it would be inevitable to think that he was simply an opportunist.
Wigeye
Guest
the only plus he's coaching the argies is we don't have to listen to his expert commentating makes you want to chew razor blades. How anyone would allow him near a national team again is beyond belief
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Good morning Hazel Nutt...! I have known Diaz Bonilla since his beginnings in the club rugby stage in Buenos Aires and he always kept a special touch in his boots. The evolution of him should come from the defensive aspect and from a better approach to the transition zones during the attack. But his useful time as an elite player is dwindling. The disappearance of Jaguares confined Miotti from Ledesma's preferences, so the number 10 jersey is really a deficit in our game today. As for my preferences, I like the latest Los Pumas lineup against IRE, with a few changes. One of them would be Juan Imhoff with jersey 11 and Santiago Chocobares with 12.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
How are you Tooly..! Many of us thought of him as he was available. But Cheika ran with a certain advantage knowing the team of Pumas players. Developing an Argentine coach remains a great challenge
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Hello JDKiwi..! We rely on these domestic tests against SCO, AUS and RSA to regain the initiative and begin to generate the cohesion we need to arrive at RWC2023 in the best of states. The scrum metrics are alarming, but reversible.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Hello JC...! Good reasoning yours. Although the scrum is a priority in any team, in Los Pumas it became a national issue. In our academies and in all the provincial unions, a development program for the scrum has been implemented, which began to be deactivated in the 'Hourcade era' in favor of the breakdown. But we must wait for the result of this re-process. Ledesma had his chance and the results did not favor him. Why hire or rehire him...? I think that the model to observe to understand the keys to success in constant work is that of Los Pumas '7 and their coach Santiago Gomez Cora.
Hazel Nutt
Roar Rookie
Surprised you rate Bonilla. I was never blown away by him, and given he's the same age as Sanchez I wouldn't consider him over younger options unless it was an emergency. I really think Los Pumas should have invested more time into Miotti, and found a third young option to develop. The Carreras tangent can't have helped anyone. But I see your point that there has always been a lack of depth in that position, which is tough to overcome. Personally I think the best Pumas backrow currently is Matera, Kremer and maybe Bruni, but I was really impressed by Grondona and hope he gets plenty of minutes off the bench at least this year. Thanks for the article, by the way. Always a team I enjoy discussing. What would your preferred lineup be?
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
I think that everyone in Argentina is looking forward to the friendlies against SCO. It is a good opportunity to know where we stand and where we are going.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Totally agree Puff...! It is an opportunity to come to fruition for both sides. But medium-term development and planning is required.
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Hello Zulu! In a post I commented on earlier, he stated that we should develop coaches the same way we develop players. This is to say that Cheika does not impress me 100% favourably. But the imminence of RWC2023 makes things take an unexpected acceleration.