Pumas look to capitalise on Ledesma gameplan
AFTER finishing fourth at RWC2015, Argentina struggled to push on and their introduction to Super Rugby was tough at times.
Despite an identical squad for both the club side and the national team, the transition has been much more complex than anticipated and has led to the Pumas losing 17 of the last 20 Tests. That’s expected to change during this June series against Wales.
The arrival this season of Mario Ledesma as Jaguares head coach has completely flipped the Argentine players’ mind set. After winning four games in their first season in Super Rugby and seven last year, they now have won six games in a row and eight of the last ten, and are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time with three games to go.
“The lack of structure allowed the players to have excuses when they didn’t play to their role,” former hooker Ledesma told The
Rugby Paper. “When you know what your job is and assume your responsibility, there are no excuses. That’s something we needed to change.
“There were basic components of the game I felt were not receiving the relevance they should have, such as discipline, set piece and defence.”
By simplifying the gameplan and emphasising the basics, Ledesma, who had been Michael Cheika’s forwards assistant for three years with Australia, has turned Jaguares into a feared side that have smashed top teams such as the Chiefs, Brumbies and Sharks. Now it is up to Pumas’ head coach Daniel Hourcade to capitalise on that and take it to the international stage.
Hourcare said: “We received the players in ideal conditions. Physically, mentally and technically. That favours a great environment.
“We must uphold the basis of what Jaguares have done, take advantage of the positive stuff and add some variations. Variations, not changes. We’ve got to capitalis on the momentum.”
Hourcade led the team to the semifinals in England 2015, but has struggled since then, having won only against France, South Africa, Japan, Georgia and Italy (twice).
Their induction into Super Rugby was traumatic. The Argentine Union made a big effort in retaining stars such as Agustín Creevy, Nicolás Sánchez and Juan Martín Hernández, and banned those who played in Europe from representing the national side.
The transition was tough with a young team but thanks to Ledesma’s arrival at Jaguares, Argentina seem to have recovered their essence: fierce defence, solid set pieces and commendable guts for 80 minutes.
If Hourcade manages to find a balance between the more structured game plan Ledesma imposed together with the raging offence he promotes, you can count them among the contenders in Japan 2019. That road begins now.