All the secrets of the Los Pumas conclave in Paris: DT gathered 40 players to make the diagram of the year

2023 has arrived loaded with great challenges for Cougars. usual rugby league, who play annually alongside the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks; the most important event in the world of the oval is added, the World Championship which will be played from 8 September to 28 October in France, a country that brings many good memories to Argentines.

The team led by the Australian michael cheka He started working this week with the hope of arriving at the ecumenical event in the best possible way. And you did it, in fact, in France, where in 2007 you won a historic bronze medal and where, in less than six months, you will begin the campaign to repeat – or improve on – that unforgettable achievement.

Is that the albiceleste team got back together after four months – they hadn’t seen each other since mid-November – and held a mini concentration in Paris between Monday and Wednesday, more precisely in the house of the powerful Stade Francais trained by Gonzalo Quesadawho opened the club doors for them and even joined in to share some training.

The idea was simple, as Cheika explained ahead of the trip: “Meeting up again after the November tour, spending time together, seeing the planning for the year and coaching some specifics we want to see from these players in their final months.” of the season in Europe”. All aiming at the great aim of the year (beyond sport, obviously): to change mentality and consistency, so that the team plays at the same level during the 80 minutes of a match.

The Australian coach has called up a group of 40 players, with some big absences, such as that of Paul Matera, who was unable to travel from Japan, where he currently plays; but also with some important returns. Among the players working in Paris were, for example, Santiago Chocobareswho had missed the entire second half of 2022 after suffering a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in June.

“I really wanted to go back,” the Santa Fe center said. “This concentration has been very good for us as a team, to continue working on aspects of the game where we may have weaknesses and also to consolidate our strengths. And don’t neglect the mental part when thinking about the big challenge of the World Cup. It could be a great year for the whole team and for all the Argentines.”

The team completed three days of intense work at the Parisian club. On Monday, after the first meeting between the team and the coaching staff, there was a tough session of gymnastics and movements with the ball in the stadium jean buinteam auxiliary complex of the first 14. Cash and line tests took place on Tuesday morning under pouring rain and with two special guests, the French Jeremy Vall and the Irish Alan Kingsley, specialized football coaches, who assisted the Argentine full-backs. And in the afternoon the first rugby training took place.

The last day had a special emotional share. Because in the morning the Argentines met up with Quesada – the historical point of reference of the Pumas and former coach of the Jaguares – and there were hugs, chats and laughter. But also a lot of work. First, the group of forwards from the Stade Français joined that of the Argentina national team for a training session linked to the scrum, which concluded with an exchange of shirts between the captains of the two teams. And at the end of the concentration, the national team once again underwent intense rugby training.

“We spent three extremely productive days, because they served not only to refresh some concepts we had worked on last year, but also to get together and continue planning a very important year. They were very good days to consolidate some knowledge and strengthen what that we need in the next three months, to then get back on track with the programming closed for our great goal, which is the World Cup”, he analyzed Philip Contepomiassistant coach of the team.

Matthias Moroni he commented: “These were a few days, but very intense, from which we got the most. We took advantage of every intervention, every video analysis, and we were able to carry out very specific activities, which will help us prepare in the best way in the coming months, which are the most beautiful, because they are the ones that precede a World Cup”.

The team will meet again in July, to face the shortened version of the Rugby Championship, in which they will play against New Zealand in Mendoza, on the 8th of that month; with Australia in Sydney on the 15th; and with South Africa in Johannesburg on the 29th. Two test matches will follow in August: on the 5th with the Springboks in Vélez and on the 26th with Spain in Madrid. And finally, on 9 September, the long-awaited debut in the World Cup will arrive, against England in Marseille.

Los Pumas rivals in Group D

England. He will be the first rival of Los Pumas in group D, on 9 September in Marseille. The pink team is going through a bad moment. A week ago he suffered a crushing defeat against France at Twickenham (53-10) for the six nations. And this Saturday they will face off against Ireland at the end of the tournament, in which they quickly ran out of chances to challenge for the title.

samoa. They will face Argentina on September 22 in Saint Etienne. His last competitive match was a test match against Italyon 5 November in Padua, won by the Europeans 49 to 17. Before the World Cup, the Pacific Cup of Nationsfrom 22 July to 5 August.

Kilos. It will be the third obstacle for the Argentines at the World Cup. They will play on September 30 in Nantes. The Trans-Andean team won 41-26 a few weeks ago Falcons XVan American team, in a friendly match played in La Reina.

Japan. The Pumas will close the group against the Japanese on 8 October, also in Nantes. He has a test match against the All Blacks scheduled for July 15th. And then he’ll play the Pacific Cup with Samoa, Tonga AND Fiji.