The Pumas have everything ready to face Australia in their Rugby Championship debut

With the minimum aim of improving its role in the new edition of Rugby Championship, The Cougars They will start on Saturday at 4:05 pm to carve out the most ambitious of their goals: to become a competitive team among the powers. With previous tests Scotland as a reference, in which they showed positive aspects and others that the coach Michele Sheika try to polish since your arrival, expectations are not lower.

It will be the fourth game of the Los Pumas in 2022 in Argentina since, in addition to the series of three against the Scots, the Mendoza square will be added for the debut of the selected team in the tournament in which, in addition to the first rival, Australiathey play South Africa Y New Zelandwho will meet first in Nelspruit.

You have completed the last workout in the thrushes -without the emphasis placed on physical contact- and with titles defined by Thursday (Juan Cruz Mallía; Santiago Cordero, Matías Orlando, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Emiliano Boffelli; Santiago Carreras, Tomás Cubelli; Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, Juan Martín González ; Tomás Lavanini, Matías Alemanno; Francisco Gómez Kodela, Julián Montoya and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro), Los Pumas completed the captain’s run at Malvinas Argentinas where the match will be played and concentrated in the hotel waiting for the match.

Although the games against Scotland have been fundamental for Cheika, the upcoming championship is the starting point for the new version of Los Pumas. The last rugby championship was essential to mark the start Mario Ledesma and that is why the present takes on fundamental touches.

Is the selected candidate to keep the title? There is no waybut Cheika is convinced it won’t be (again) the Cinderella of the tournament. The rival of the debut is, compared to the rest of the participating teams, the one that will give the Los Pumas an idea of ​​its size. South Africa and New Zealand and South Africa will fight hand in hand for the title and if the Argentines are the stone in their shoes, the balance will be positive.

So what can you expect from Los Pumas? His response to adversity, something he accomplished in the July window. If they can keep that hold, they will be better off than they were at the last rugby championship, when they never managed to lift their heads. If that goal is achieved, which seems minimal, it will be a huge step forward.

“We can make a qualitative leap”

For Matías Orlando, the match against wallaby is hopeful. Beyond the quality and skill of the rival, for the winger the next matches represent an opportunity to enrich the present of Los Pumas.

“There were moments (in the test matches against Scotland) where we were seen subdued at the start of the second half. We therefore believe we can make a qualitative leap: this is a good starting point to improve ourselves “Orlando said.

Based on the characteristics of the dates of this rugby championship, Orlando explained how the group records it. “Maybe we experience it more as a mini series, first with Australia in Argentina, then in New Zealand and South Africa. But we know the opportunities we have here, mainly because of how we are working and how we plan to play them. “he remarked.

The rivals of Argentina will be the wallaby, All black Y Springbok How to analyze the performance of Los Pumas? Orlando has clear ideas. They are teams that, even if they play poorly, end up winning 90 percent of the games they play. The result is heavily analyzed, but we all know what those three Southern Hemisphere teams do. You can never trust yourself. I don’t rely on the losing streak or the fact that they didn’t play well in a match, for me they are still the best three in the world, so it will be a very tough battle. “he predicted, ready to do that battle.

* Special correspondent in Mendoza