Roar Guru
NSW Waratahs
15
Match Complete
Jaguares
23
81 | J. D. Bonilla | |||
71 | J. D. Bonilla | |||
C. Rona | 64 | |||
54 | ||||
48 | D. Miotti | |||
47 | R. Moyano | |||
38 | D. Miotti | |||
B. Foley | 35 | |||
26 | D. Miotti | |||
25 | R. Moyano |
2 | Tries | 2 | ||
0 | Conversions | 2 | ||
1 | Penalty Goals | 3 | ||
0 | Field Goals | 0 |
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The Waratahs host the Jaguares Saturday night at Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:45pm AEST.
Despite the bookies’ odds favouring the Waratahs, this is not a cakewalk.
The Jaguares are in good form, poised on top of the South African conference. They have won four of the last six matches, two of which were away games.
Apart from the Crusaders, the Jaguares have the best tries “for vs against” statistic (+9) this year, tied with the Hurricanes.
The Waratahs were mauled by the ‘Jags’ twice out of their two previous clashes. They lost by 10 points last year in Argentina in the early rounds. This was preceded by a 13-point late-round loss the previous year at home.
But those were different times, with a different type of Waratah. 2017 was “annus horribilis” for Daryl Gibsons and his New South Welshmen, having a suffered/earnt a string of losses in later rounds.
This includes a 16-point loss to the Hurricanes, 15-point loss to the Chiefs and a 29-point drubbing by the Force. In the early stages of 2018, the “Tahs” were still growing out of their 2017 form.
While Gibson took over a season to get his team into form, the 39-capped ex-test flyhalf Gonzalo Quesada took the Jaguares into conference leading form from the start of his inaugural year.
He has built one of the best “back fives” on the planet, complemented by backs that can score from anywhere.
Moreover, they have one of the best defensive teams in Super Rugby, third behind the Crusaders and the Sharks.
Prediction
I am unsure about this match. Although the Jaguares have lost their last two games, they should bounce back. They will be desperate to maintain pole position above the Bulls, the Lions and the Sharks who are less than four points behind.
Equally desperate are the Waratahs who are two points behind the Rebels and two points ahead of the Reds.
In the end, I think the Waratahs at home, are more desperate and should finally win their first one against the Argentinians.
When: 7:45pm AEST
Where: Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta
TV: Fox Footy
WARATAHS
1. Tom Robertson
2. Damien Fitzpatrick
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Ned Hanigan
5. Rob Simmons
6. Lachlan Swinton
7. Michael Hooper
8. Michael Wells
9. Nick Phipps
10. Bernard Foley
11. Cameron Clark
12. Karmichael Hunt
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Alex Newsome
15. Kurtley Beale
16. Andrew Tuala
17. Harry Johnson-Holmes
18. Chris Talakai
19. Jed Holloway
20. Will Miller
21. Jake Gordon
22. Lalakai Foketi
23. Curtis Rona
HURRICANES
1. Mayco Vivas
2. Julian Montoya
3. Santiago Medrano
4. Guido Petti Pagadizaval
5. Marcos Kremer
6. Pablo Matera
7. Tomas Lezana
8. Javier Ortega Desio
9. Tomas Cubelli
10. Domingo Miotti
11. Ramiro Moyano
12. Jeronimo De La Fuente
13. Matias Orlando
14. Santiago Carreras
15. Emiliano Boffelli
16. Agustin Creevy
17. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
18. Lucio Sordoni
19. Tomas Lavanini
20. Juan Manuel Leguizamon
21. Felipe Ezcurra
22. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla
23. Matias Moroni
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