Argentina have forgotten to play to their strengths
Dramatic slump in form since the World Cup is linked to change in style, writes Daniel Schofield
Eddie Jones, the England head coach, recently provided an excellent summation of how Argentina have lost 17 of their 22 Tests since reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2015. He was not directly referencing the Pumas but his observation cuts to the heart of the identity crisis within Argentina rugby. “It always strikes me that you have certain strengths in club or national teams,” Jones said. “As the game evolves – because it changes all the time – you want to be able to take those traditional things, keep them and adapt to how the environment is.
“But what happens is that people see those things as old-fashioned or conservative, so they get away from it and want to become this something new. But they can never be that. Those other things are not necessarily better; they’re just faddy or trendy or popular. You have to keep to your strengths. That’s important.”
This is the bind that Argentina find themselves in, having lost all eight tier-one matches this year. Their traditional blueprint revolves around a monstrous set-piece and a metronomic goalkicker. At present, they possess neither of those elements, sacrificed at the altar of speed demanded by the participation in the Rugby Championship and, in the case of the Jaguares, Super Rugby.
Sometimes these results can be thrilling. Joaquin Tuculet’s try, a team move that began inside Argentina’s 22, against England in San Juan this summer was nominated for World Rugby’s try of the year award. It was also this style of rugby that propelled them past Ireland into the last four of the World Cup. Yet according to Les Cusworth, director of rugby when Argentina finished third at the 2007 World Cup, the balance has swung too far from their traditional focus on the scrum and maul.
“I have always been taught that you play to your strengths and not other people’s strengths,” Cusworth said. “To adopt the kind of rugby they have done over fourfive years, although they have lots of plaudits, in reality, is that the best for Argentina rugby? Historically, they have been one of the best scrummaging teams in world rugby. That’s not the case any more. The physicality they brought to the game has become secondary.”
There are structural, as well as stylistic, problems. The Argentina union fought hard for the Jaguares to be admitted to Super Rugby and subsequently stopped selecting overseas-based players to encourage players to remain in Argentina. The direct result of this policy is that four of Argentina’s brightest talents – Ramiro Herrera, Facundo Isa, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Juan Imhoff – are off limits to head coach Daniel Hourcade.
Another consequence is that it has narrowed their playing depth. There is no professional structure domestically, so without the chance to play in Europe, the Jaguares are the only means to regular game time. “Amateur rugby in Argentina is the best amateur rugby in the world,” Cusworth said. “The clubs are the focus of the communities. It is like English rugby was 30-40 years ago. It really is wonderful, but as a model to produce elite players it is not the best.”
If these are longer-term issues, then there are plenty of immediate problems too. Looking at their results in the Rugby Championship, Argentina were ahead or narrowly behind at half-time in five of their six matches. Against New Zealand in New Plymouth, they were up by seven points at the 50-minute mark. That good work was wiped out in the final quarter which Pablo Bouza, the assistant coach, attributes to a lack of mental strength.
“We need to play 80 minutes the way we can do,” Bouza said. “It’s not our fitness, it’s about making unforced errors. It’s about our mentality and decision making. We are working on these things.”
For all their flaws, they remain a dangerous proposition. “They can shock England at Twickenham,” Cusworth said. “Eddie has got them on a roll but don’t ever write Argentina off.”
‘It is not our fitness. It is about making errors. We are working on these things’