Ledesma to Quinn: ‘Emmotions are a good thing — he should try it’

SYDNEY: Pumas coach Mario Ledesma was unapologetic for the tears he and his team shed after their maiden victory over the All Blacks last weekend and said emotion was an integral part of the makeup of the Argentina team.

The Pumas stunned the rugby world with their 2515 victory over New Zealand in their first test for more than a year last week in Sydney and there was a huge outpouring of emotion on the pitch afterwards.

That, along with tears shed by Dustin Johnson after winning golf’s Masters and Lewis Hamilton after securing the Formula One world title at the weekend, irked veteran commentator Keith Quinn, who

called on modern sportsmen to ‘‘harden up’’.

‘‘Emotions are sometimes difficult to control, especially after everything we have been through,’’ Ledesma said yesterday.

‘‘I’m sorry if in any way he was angry about it, but I think emotions are a good thing — he should try it.’’

Ledesma, a former hooker who proved his physical toughness in 84 tests for the Pumas, said after last weekend’s match his players had been through ‘‘hell’’ in the months leading up to the All Blacks match.

They trained as best they could at home through the lockdown, then were forced to abandon one training camp in Argentina after a string of Covid19 cases before requiring two weeks of quarantine on their arrival in Australia.

Matters were not helped by the economic crisis in Argentina nor by the uncertainty of the playing future for many in the squad after the Jaguares Super Rugby team was effectively shut down.

While that contributed to the way the Pumas celebrated their victory last week, Ledesma said emotion was also part of what made Argentinian rugby different.

‘‘I think we are like we are and we don’t want to change.

‘‘I think emotions and passions are a very good thing,’’ he added. — Reuters