Albornoz, the Puma who after the first two games and an epic goal beat the match against New Zealand

The sequence he posted on his Instagram defines what Tommaso Albornoz live for these days. In the poster he is seen crossing the arch that leads from the changing rooms to the playing field of Mendoza. Finally he made his debut on the pitch with the Argentina rugby team. Her first boyfriend with The Cougars. Trainer Michele Sheika He confirmed it and on the day of the defeat against Australia, Brush he replaced Cordero in time.

“They call me a Brush because as a boy I always peeled my hair and my hair grew, like a brush”he says Clarione peeled again steel: his companions were in charge of baptism for his first. But let’s go back to his post on Instagram. In the next photo, a week later, he flies to the test Saint John where he had to enter a minute before the end and it was enough to support the Australian ingol and give the final jersey point to a historic match.

Now it’s inside Australia together with the other 32 called to discuss New Zeland dates 3 and 4 of Rugby Championshipa competition that they run together with wallaby. Travel does not allow him to take the degree in Administration as he would like. “If they give me the time, I will take the opportunity to do some practice or to catch up so I can perform later”details.

the bathrobe is the Puma 885 and when he returns from the tour he will be 25 years old. The sporting origin of him is in Tucuman Rugby Clubof the province where he was born. He has been playing since 2021 Benetton from Italyclub where he recently renewed the link until 2024. The opening half had been called up in 2020 by the then manager Mario LedesmaBut he had done nothing but train. It was Cheika who first sat down on the bench and under his guidance the first two capp and the Attempt of the epic match. Among the characteristics of him stand out the ability with the feet and the elusiveness of his runs.

Tucumán is a new acquaintance among the Cougars. Many of his teammates in Italy are now also in the national team. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro Y Thomas rooster, for example, they share both changing rooms. Before the pandemic, he played two games of Rugby with jaguars on American Super League of rugby. Franchise experience added Ceibo Y Jaguars XV and signed in five games in the World M20 and it was on the radar The Cougars. What follows in the dream that lives, is the responsibility of being part of the group that will try to assert itself before All black your present.

“We can’t be wrong against them, because they make you pay dearly”admitted Albornoz Clarionealmost modestly. There was, beyond his imagination and ambition, the possibility that he was offering his impressions as a protagonist in front of a series of the greatness that is coming. But he looks ready, just as he has arrived against the Australians. “I knew I had to be prepared for everything, the match could be played like in Mendoza or San Juan,” he boasted.

The Pumas have been in Australia since Monday and will stay there for a week before traveling New Zeland, where they will face the local team for the third and fourth dates of the Rugby Championship. The reality is that the positions have the Cheika team at the forefront and the ocean superpower at the bottom and plunged into a deep crisis. Argentina will try to support -first on Saturday 27 August in Stadium of the Orangeteoria from Christchurch and a week later Waikato Stadium from Auckland-, the face that allowed him the sensational victory against the wallaby at the Sanjuanino stadium.

“I think the same way we set it up against Australia, we have to do it with the All Blacks. It will be a very tough game, like the one in Australia, but we will mentally and physically prepare him for a great game in New Zealand.” Albornoz hoped.

Before or after training, Albornoz has a ritual that he shares. “I really like being together to drink mate with the boys, they make good speeches,” she distinguishes. When he is not in a group and there is no chat, he brings them alone in front of the screen. “I like watching series,” he releases as a definition.

a problem of mind

Albornoz highlighted a fundamental aspect: the mentality. It is the complement of physical fullness, in which Cheika does not find major problems. The lowest point of Los Pumas is concentration, everything that goes through the head and not the muscles. In this way – in his own way – the coach explained the categorical defeat in the first leg against Australia.

“Beyond the match, the mentality we had in the second match was different. We prepared ourselves because last week we had good phases of the game, but we believed that the problem was mental and we worked on it, ”she remarked.

And in that aspect, that of psychological strength, Albornoz exposes the key. “I think it’s something that you work individually and as a team, talking about things. In the moments when we fall, we talk about how to move forward. Against Australia, in the second game we had a couple of holes and we managed to get it out for everything we worked on during the week ”, he evoked the sensational victory.

“The mentality in this game is very important and the conviction of each of the 15 who are on the pitch to move forward is fundamental and I think we have succeeded,” summed up Tucuman’s average opening.

Evoking what was his debut in goal, Albornoz admitted that he had not dreamed of starring in such a play. The truth is that I did not imagine a match like this, nor the possibility of supporting it. It was incredible and I’m very happy for the team, because we got what we were looking for from minute zero, ”he celebrated.

“We knew the quality of the Australian players, how he plays and how he makes (James) O’Connor play. We had to play a great game on the outside and work in defense and this showed, we were very firm “, he says with a greater sense of belonging than the two games he played in Los Pumas.

what’s coming

Upon returning from the tour against New Zealand, Los Pumas will play at the Vélez stadium against South Africa, current world champions. It will be on September 17th at 4:05 pm, with a rematch on the 24th at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban, for the final date of the competition.

After the win against Australia, the Los Pumas remained ninth in the World Rugby world rankings, while the Wallabies dropped to seventh in the rankings, the worst position in their history. New Zealand regained fourth place by beating South Africa, 35-23, in the standings led by Ireland last Saturday.

The Top 10 of the WR classification is the following: 1) Ireland 90.03 points; 2) France 89.41, 3) South Africa 87.78; 4) New Zealand 87.76; 5) England 86.25; 6) Scotland 81.93; 7) Australia 81.65; 8) Wales 81.28; 9) Argentina 80.97; 10) Japan 77.74.