Jaguares show their worth
OPINION: If someone asks for an honest opinion on the Blues, I’ll offer it. Otherwise, they’re not really worth anyone wasting their breath on.
Should New Zealand Rugby, or the Blues themselves, fancy giving the franchise the Mark Hammett treatment, then maybe they’ll become achieve some relevance again.
Hammett might not be everyone’s favourite rugby coach, but he left an indelible mark on the Hurricanes. Without him, they’d never be where they are today.
Another coach who improved one team, and is now doing great things at another, is Mario Ledesma.
The former Puma enjoyed a highlysuccessful stint as Australia’s scrum coach, before returning to Argentina to take charge at the Jaguares this year.
The Argentine franchise’s first season in Super Rugby was only OK. Travel really knocked them around, but so did a lack of solidity at scrum time.
They’re far more formidable in 2018 and Saturday’s 20-13 win over the Blues was their fifth of the season and third in succession on the road. The Jaguares haven’t blown any of the Rebels, Brumbies or Blues away on this away stint, but their ability to absorb pressure and overcome points deficits has been impressive.
The competition needs it. Good on the Sunwolves; they try very hard and are well-coached. But they lack the size or killer punch to turn plucky performances into wins.
Discipline isn’t an absolute hallmark of the Jaguares just yet. But they’re abrasive and have begun scrummaging well again and will be a handful for the Chiefs in Rotorua on Friday. Congratulations to Ledesma and the team for turning around a failing culture.
Again, Super Rugby needs the strength and the diversity. The Sunwolves might always struggle to provide it and Australian rugby is hardly in rude health, so the Jaguares’ performances have been heartening.
Week 11 of this year’s competition began at Westpac Stadium, where the Hurricanes made hard work of beating the Sunwolves 43-15. If the match is remembered at all, it’ll be for the influence of Television Match Official Ben Skeen.
On-field referee Jamie Nutbrown might have been the guy blowing the whistle, but he wasn’t always the one calling the shots.
Elsewhere, the Rebels lost their fourth on the trot, going down 34-18 to the Stormers in Cape Town.
That was followed by the Reds hanging on from 24-0 up to beat the Lions 27-22, Jaguares beating the Blues and then the Crusaders battling to put the Brumbies away 21-8 in Canberra. Brumbies wing Chance Peni was lucky to only get a yellow card for a high shot on opposite Israel Dagg.
Dagg was concussed, plus had his knee buckle underneath him, and now faces an anxious wait to see how long he might be sidelined for. He’s only just back from problems with the same knee and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson suggested the wing could now be out for a few weeks.
Peni has now been cited for the tackle. Lima Sopoaga then brought the curtain down on the round with a terrific allround performance in the Highlanders last-gasp 29-28 win over the Bulls in Pretoria. The Wasps-bound first fiveeighth kicked a 40-metre penalty after the fulltime hooter to improve the team’s record to 6-2.