'Disrespected' - Mario Ledesma lashes out over photo

Pumas’ head coach Mario Ledesma has lashed out after he alleged that Argentina were snubbed in an official Rugby Championship captains’ photo opportunity.

Argentina fell to a 27-8 defeat at the hands of the Wallabies at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, but it wasn’t just the loss that irked Ledesma.

This week Ardie Savea, Michael Hooper and Siya Kolisi were all gathered for a photo opportunity with the Rugby Championship trophy, but Ledesma claims the Puma’s were effectively snubbed by organisers.

Rugby Returns with Jack Nowell, Ryan Wilson & Max Lahiff | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 2

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Rugby Returns with Jack Nowell, Ryan Wilson & Max Lahiff | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 2

“I just want to make a point about what happened this week with the captain’s photo,” Ledesma told press after the game. “The boys and the staff, we felt really disrespected.”

“Last week it [the photo] was supposed to happen but it didn’t happen because one team pulled out once, and the other team pulled out the other time. And then when it was our time we couldn’t make it, we were told they weren’t supposed to take the picture, and then there was the picture and the video.

“We’re not asking for much; last year when South Africa pulled out we came over here, went through strict lockdown, we were away from home three or four months.

“We’re the only team who hasn’t played at home for more than two years; South Africa played at home, obviously you guys [Australia] are playing at home and New Zealand played at home. And we’re always travelling, we never complained and we feel sometimes that we’re getting treated with disrespect and we just continue and cop it on the chin.

When the captains meet… ? pic.twitter.com/2J9MIfbGot

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 24, 2021

“I don’t know if it was Rugby Australia, SANZAAR or whatever, but it’s just disrespectful and it hurts a lot because we have families and we have kids that we haven’t seen for ages now, and in a couple of weeks’ time we’ll be out of houses again.

“And the only thing we’re asking is to get treated fairly and with respect and obviously in this case it wasn’t that way. And I don’t think it was too hard to move that and respect us as a team, as a nation; rugby has values, I’m sure of it, and they weren’t respected here.”