- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Jaguares
16
Match Complete
Lions
25
| 69 |  | E. Jantjies | ||
| J. D. Bonilla | | 59 | ||
| 50 |  | E. Jantjies | ||
| 49 |  | M. Schoeman | ||
| 32 | | E. Jantjies | ||
| 31 | | M. Schoeman | ||
| 28 | | E. Jantjies | ||
| J. D. Bonilla | | 25 | ||
| J. D. Bonilla | | 16 | ||
| S. Medrano | | 15 | ||
| J. D. Bonilla | | 12 | ||
| 2 | | M. Schoeman |
| 1 | Tries | 3 | ||
| 1 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 3 | Penalty Goals | 2 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
Show Preview
The Lions have started the Super Rugby season with their first ever win in Argentina, defeating the Jaguares by nine points at Jose Amalfatani Stadium.
The visitors looked to be under the pump during the first half, but the calm play of experienced leaders like Malcolm Marx, Elton Jantjes and captain Warren Whiteley ensured they hung in the contest, before an excellent second half ran them away with the game.
Marnus Schoeman was the hat-trick hero for the Lions, and he had the first try in just the second minute of the encounter off a driving maul, with the visitors very solid in cleaning up their own lineouts throughout the 80 minutes.
The Jaguares would hit back with a pair of penalty goals and a converted try as they started to dominate, but that was about all the hosts had to cheer about for the remainder of the game.
By the time the first 40 minutes came to a completion, the Lions were back in the lead through a penalty goal and second try to Schoeman.
The physicality of the encounter continued to be the highlight early in the second half, but it was clear the Lions were winning the territory and possession battle, with Schoeman grabbing his third try in the 49th minute off another driving maul.
Joaquin Diaz Bonilla got it back to within six points as he put a penalty goal away, but it was back to nine shortly afterwards as Jantjes did the same, and in the end that was all the scoring wrote.
The Lions were under the pump during the final ten minutes at various points, but never looked like letting in a try. Their defence ended up winning them the game, with their speed and pressure on the Jaguares ensuring there would be plenty of mistakes and poor decisions from the hosts.
Last year’s grand finalists will be back in South Africa next week to take on the Stormers at Newlands, while the Jaguares will remain in Buenos Aires and need a win from their second home game when they take on the Bulls.
Final score
Jaguares 16
Lions 25
The Jaguares will be looking to take some revenge on the Lions when the two sides meet in Beunos Aires to complete Round 1 of the new Super Rugby season. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8:40am (AEDT).
After a stunning second half of 2018, the Argentinan franchise made the finals, and then travelled to Johannesburg to play the Lions in the quarter-final.
On that occasion, their defence completely failed them and, in the end, they went down by 17 points, but it shouldn’t be that match which defines their season, or their chances over the next five months.
With a side who have seen considerable improvement, the Jaguares had a stunning winning streak throughout the second half of 2018 to announce themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
The Jaguares saw major improvement in their defence when they went on their win streak last year, ending second-best in the league for both run metres conceded and in limiting opponents making the gain line – just 44 per cent.
If they can keep those stats together, they are every chance against the Lions, and with their strong forward line staying the course – with the likes of Agustin Creevy, Santiago Medrano and Guido Petti – their creative players can find ways to score.
The Lions are dangerous though. They had the third-best attacking record in 2018 before going on to lose the grand final to the Crusaders away from home for the second year in a row.
Every game is crucial for the Johannesburg-located outfit, simply because they need to win the minor premiership and be hosting the final for a chance at knocking off a team like the Crusaders, who at this early point, are favourites to make it three on the hop.
With the skill and talent of Elton Jantjies leading the Lions around, it’s little surprise to see where they finished last year, while Malcolm Marx has 12 tries last year as well.
This is very much shaping up as a game of attack against defence, and home ground advantage could prove crucial, as it has done previously in the head-to-head match-ups between these two sides.
Prediction
The Jaguares are at home, and even though the Lions are going to have another strong year, I reckon they will get off on the wrong foot as the constantly improving Argentinian outfit start 2019 strongly.
Jaguares by 7.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the match from 8:40am (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Kick-off: 8:40am (AEDT)
Venue: Etadio Jose Amalfatani, Buenos Aires
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Online: Live, Foxtel app, Foxtel now, Kayo Sports
Betting: Lions $1.65, Jaguares $2.25
Overall record: Played 7, Lions 4, Jaguares 3
Last five: Lions 3, Jaguares 2
Last meeting: Quarter-finals 2018 – Lions 40 defeat Jaguares 23
Referee: Mike Fraser (NZ)
Jaguares
1. Mayco Vivas, 2. Agustin Creevy, 3. Santiago Medrano, 4. Guido Petti, 5. Tomas Lavanini, 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Rodrrigo Bruni, 8. Javier Ortegia Desio, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 10. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 11. Ramiro Moyano, 12. Jeronimo de La Fuente, 13. Matias Orlando, 14. Bautista Delguy, 15. Joaquin Tuculet
Bench: 16. Julian Montoya, 17. Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18. Enrique Pieretto, 19. Matias Alemanno, 20. Marcos Kremer, 21. Martin Landajo, 22. Juan Cruz Mallia, 23. Matias Moroni.
Lions
1. Dylan Smith, 2. Malcolm Marx, 3. Carlu Sadie, 4. Rhyno Herbst, 5. Marvin Orie, 6. Marnus Schoeman, 7. Hacjivah Dayimani, 8. Warren Whiteley (c), 9. Nic Groom, 10. Elton Jantjies, 11. Aphiwe Dyanti, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 14. Courtnall Skosan, 15. Andries Coetzee
Bench: 16. Pieter Jansen, 17. Frans van Wyk, 18. Jacobie Adriaanse, 19. Ruan Vermaak, 20. Robert Kruger, 21. Gianni Lombard, 22. Wandisile Simelane, 23. Ruan Combrinck
Hide Preview