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In ten days time Los Pumas will play their first test match of the year. It is to begin the second of a four year process between Rugby World Cups. This year sees a reduction of test matches from 13 to 12.
The first match will be on Saturday June 10 in San Juan. England will play the first of two test matches in Argentina. The second match will be played on Saturday June 17 in Santa Fé. Seven days later Los Pumas will host Georgia in the far north of Jujuy. Los Pumas have begun their training in Buenos Aires.
Daniel Hourcade is looking for improved performances from that of 2016. The November tour to the U.K. was so disastrous that Argentina finished the year ranked 9th in the world. This has resulted in the South Americans being pooled with England and France for Rugby World Cup 2019.
The 2016 Rugby Championship also failed to see Argentina playing at their peak. The country was unable to perform to the same level that had taken them to the Semi Finals of the Rugby World Cup one year earlier in England and Wales.
The disappointing Rugby Championship campaign followed an unthinkable 27-0 home defeat to France in Tucumán. It came after Argentina had beaten France the prior week and had also overcome Italy. A win over South Africa in Salta and Japan in Tokyo would be the other matches that Argentina did not lose in 2016.
The lack of results in the Rugby Championship is reflected in the following video. It documents a list of Los Pumas’ Top 15 Tries of 2016. Despite playing Australia and New Zealand twice each no tries against these countries feature in the Top 15 list.
The one match with the greatest contribution should not come as a surprise. It is Argentina’s opening November test, against Japan. From that match alone there are two tries from Matías Moroni. Tries in that game from Santiago Cordero and Nicolás Sánchez also all made the list.
Of the Top 15 all but one try was scored by a back. The exception is Guido Petti’s sensational solo try against France. Wingers or fullbacks account for over half of the tries on the list. Of note in this regard is Manuel Montero. He has tries from the first two matches of 2016 but would go on to be injured in August. This seriously impacted Hourcade’s selections for the remaining eight tests of the year.
The best try of 2016 according to the video was scored by Santiago Cordero vs England. The Buenos Aires flier also came in at number 2 and 4 for tries scored against Japan. Curiously both he and Montero have featured less often in Super Rugby this year than other regular Pumas sides under Hourcade.
