Mario Ledesma’s First Act Should be captaincy. As Head Coach of Los Jaguares Mario Ledesma’s first act should be naming a new Jaguares Captain. He ought to use Forward Thinking to identify and name a new leader. This is not to say that Agustín Creevy is a bad leader. To the …
Read More »High hopes for Canadian University Men’s Championship
Canadian rugby could be on the verge of a significant milestone on November as a joint announcement last week confirmed an initiative to hold a Canadian Men’s University Rugby Championship in November of this year. The event is set to be hosted by Guelph University, located approximately 100 km west …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 3, Iss 6): Pumas Final Quarter Failures
Houston we have a problem. Los Pumas are unable to finish off matches. They are proving to be competitive at half time and, usually, still so into the second half. But in the final quarter there is a growing list of failures in which Argentina is getting beaten. Los Pumas’ …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Notes from the North
Once again we’ve drifted far too long between entries. With so much going on behind the scenes it’s hard to keep track of what’s most important in Canadian rugby right now but in this column we’ll try to focus on the immediate concerns – the Women’s World Cup, the CRC, …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Talking Rugby: USA Rugby at Crossroads
I write this with a heavy heart. It’s been a long time since I contributed an opinion piece for Americas Rugby News. I certainly wished that I had taken Paul up on writing a piece about the storied career of Todd Clever as he retired from International duty. Instead I …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 3, Iss 5): Booking Rugby World Cup 2019
With Tonga qualifying for Japan 2019 this past weekend Pool C is complete. The Oceania side officially joined Argentina, England, France and the USA in the Pool of Death. This serves as a reminder of the need to book Rugby World Cup 2019 appropriately. Inappropriate Booking The existing model of …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 3, Iss 4): Time for Argentina to Play in Georgia
It is time for Argentina to play in Georgia. Los Pumas’ recent home match against the Lelos was the second occasion in which the teams have played a test match in Argentina. They have never played in Georgia, a fact which will hopefully not last for much longer. Argentina vs …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 3, Iss 3): Dominant Scrum With Mobile Props
A dominant scrum with mobile props. This is what Daniel Hourcade is seeking. Yet the traditional strength of Argentine rugby was exposed by Georgia. In San Salvador de Jujuy the Eastern Europeans dominated the battle, shoving Los Pumas backwards with regularity, winning penalties and even a penalty try. Mission Hourcade …
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