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The Jaguares' fairytale run is the story of the season
By Sam Warlow
Four consecutive road wins have sent the Jaguares near the top of the South African conference and reinvigorated Super Rugby with an underdog story for the ages.
The Jaguares arrival to the competition has closely resembled the nature of their namesake.
After limping through their first two seasons they looked endangered and on the fast track towards extinction, nothing more than a SANZAAR experiment gone awry.
But in 2018 they have backed up their place in the competition, and have stalked and ambushed their prey across unfamiliar territory over a remarkable four weeks.
Under the tutelage of 15-year Pumas veteran Mario Ledesma the Jaguares have proudly marched where no side has gone for a number of years, providing a competition starved of interest with its greatest storyline.
Their current streak of four consecutive wins beats a previous franchise record of three, and is made even more impressive by the fact that all four have come on the road.
To put things in perspective, in their first two years of existence, the Jaguares managed to notch a total of four wins away from home – two coming against sides that no longer compete in Super Rugby; the Kings and the Cheetahs.
One week after beating the Blues - achieving a feat that no Australian side has been able to accomplish in their last 36 attempts - the Jaguares became the first team since May 2014 to record two consecutive away wins in New Zealand when they outlasted the Chiefs 23-19 on Friday night.
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Stingy defence, improved discipline and pure passion has been the key to the Jaguares’ magical run.
After surrendering 75 points across their first two fixtures of the season, they have allowed just 74 points during their historic four game stretch - an average of 18.5 points per outing. Before embarking on their Australasian tour they let in an average of 32.8 points per game.
In terms of discipline, an area where the Jaguares have struggled in the past, the side are much improved.
After finishing last season with 12 yellow cards, good for second most in the competition, the men in orange have been shown yellow just four times across the course of the season, improving from a rate of 0.8 cards per match last year to just 0.36.
With the Jaguares firmly in the mix after playing solely for pride at this point of the season during their first two years, it can't be overlooked just how much pride and passion this side plays with.
"Really proud of the work they've put in since the beginning of the season," said Ledesma after defeating the Chiefs.
"I hope everybody in Argentina is proud too."
With just four games remaining, the proud Jaguares can be assured that they have all of Argentina behind them as they make a playoff push and look to separate themselves in the South African conference.
Currently sitting second in the conference and seventh overall with a record of six wins and five losses, the Jaguares are just one win shy of equalling their best record and with a light end-of-season schedule they should approach a new franchise record after finishing last season with seven wins.
The Jaguares’ final four regular season fixtures will see them play three times at home after a week of rest, before finishing the year in Pretoria.
Ledesma’s men will only play within their conference until the end of the season, providing a fantastic opportunity to nail down a playoff spot. They’ll take on the Bulls twice (home and away), the Stormers and the Sharks after they evened their ledger with the Lions in week six.
Only time will tell how long this fairytale run will last, but it can be guaranteed that no side will be taking the Jaguares lightly when they come to town.
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Latest Comments
SCW really dislikes Eddie, doesn't he?
His words in 2019 before the RWC final that he now says should have resulted in Eddie's firing:
"Was Saturday’s sensational World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand England’s greatest ever performance? Yes, unquestionably, would be my answer."
So let's fire the coach one game later? Duh!
Go to commentsIreland have every right to back themselves for a win. But the key variable has little to do with recent record etc.
The reality is that Ireland are a settled team with tons of continuity, an established style, and a good depth chart, whereas NZ are fundamentally rebuilding. The questions are all about what Razor is doing and how far along he is in that program.
NZ are very close to really clicking. Against England all of the chatter is about how England could have closed out a win, but failed to do so. This has obscured the observation that NZ were by far the more creative and effective in attack, beyond the 3-1 try differential and disallowed tries. They gave away a lot of unnecessary penalties, and made many simple errors (including knock-ons and loose kicks). Those things are very fixable, and when they do so we are once again going to be staring at a formidable NZ team.
Last week we heard the England fans talking confidently about their chances against NZ, but England did not end up looking like the better team on the field or the scoreboard. The England defense was impressive enough, but still could not stop the tries.
Ireland certainly has a better chance, of course, but NZ is improving fast, and I would not be surprised at a convincing All Black win this week. It may turn on whether NZ can cut out the simple mistakes.
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