Paul Tait

CO-FOUNDER / EDITOR / SOUTH AMERICA ... has been covering the sport since 2007. Former player, coach, and referee. Author on web and in print. Published original works in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Ele fala português / Él habla español.

Five Points of Pumas Performance

Four of the six Rugby Championship rounds have come and gone. Argentina have an 0-4 record and face an extremely challenging final two matches to get a victory. Saturday morning’s defeat against Australia asked the question as to whether or not the learning needed to be done is in fact …

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Five Points of Pumas Performance

Three matches into the 2017 Rugby Championship and Argentina are still chasing a victory. The 0-3 record is of grave concern though there are signs that this team could yet surprise a lot of people and pull off a win. The 39-22 loss to New Zealand was not a team being …

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Sudamérica Rugby Restructuring Competitions for 2018

Sudamérica Rugby is rebranding and restructuring international competitions for 2018. The governing body for rugby in South and Central America is looking to implement a new system and format to elevate the level of competition. The overhaul came about following a meeting last month in Medellín, Colombia. Plans were discussed …

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UAR President Hints at Selecting European Players for Pumas

The UAR President has hinted at selecting European players for Los Pumas. The official policy is under serious questioning now. With those based in Europe blocked from international duty Argentina has experienced a run of negative results since Rugby World Cup 2015. Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has firmly stood his …

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The Missing Pumas: 2016 and 2017

In July 2016 Daniel Hourcade announced his roster for the Rugby Championship. The 33-man roster saw the South Americans leaving out European-based players for the first time since joining the tournament. Gone were both established names and also potential newcomers. Based on the status of players at the time the following …

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Argentina’s Unsolvable Fly Half Conundrum

Argentina’s play-makers have struggled in 2017. The bad news for Los Pumas is that the problem is not going to go away. Rather it is an unsolvable fly half conundrum in which there are no players to be called upon to steady the ship. No Man’s Land Nicolás Sánchez was …

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Pumas doubts Ahead of Rugby Championship

The Rugby Championship is just ten days away. Los Pumas have a number of positional doubts ahead of their first match against South Africa. Certainties 1 – Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  Playing out of position will be Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Naturally a Tight head prop, he has proved to be highly effective …

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Would Two Argentine Teams be Competitive in Super Rugby?

Super Rugby is downsizing. The 2018 season will have 15 teams, down three from 18. There are a variety of motives driving the change, one of which is performance. This raises the question – would two Argentine teams be competitive in Super Rugby? Comparative Performance Los Jaguares completed their second …

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Dark Clouds Looming for Zebre

Dark clouds are looming for Zebre Rugby. In the midst of the Guinness Pro 12 expanding, the Parma-based side may not be involved. It has been confirmed from sources within Italy that Zebre’s players are owed two months pay and that training for the 2017-2018 season is yet to begin. …

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