Jaguares rest their big guns for Highlanders showdown
TEAM NAMING: While many have been vocal in their frustrations with New Zealand sides rarely fielding full-strength teams in 2019, it's the Jaguares who appear to be giving some of their key internationals breaks as the World Cup draws nearer.
The Jaguares, who are currently third in the South African conference (only one point adrift of the Bulls and Sharks) and fifth overall, have opted to save some of their strongest players for bench duty for their important Saturday night fixture.
Inspirational leader Agustin Creevy is joined on the pine by fellow internationals Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Tomas Cubelli and Matias Orlando. Young first-five Domino Miotti has also been given a spell after starting the last three matches at 10. All five players started in the Jaguares' win over the Stormers in last week's match in Buenos Aires.
With the South African conference balanced on a knife edge, now seems like a dangerous time for coach Gonzalo Quesada to be resting his top contingent. The Highlanders will be hurting after giving up a big lead and stumbling over the finish line in a draw against the Chiefs last weekend. Their results have not been as impressive as the Argentinians but they still find themselves in with a shot of making the finals so have everything to play for.
Adding to the intrigue of the match is the fact that the Jaguares have never beaten the Highlanders. Although they were only introduced to Super Rugby in 2016, the Jaguares have managed to earn wins against every current team except for the Highlanders, the Hurricanes (who they play next week) and the Crusaders.
Jaguares: Emiliano Boffelli, Sebastian Cancelliere, Matias Moroni, Jeronimo de la Fuente (c), Ramiro Moyano, Joaquin Díaz Bonilla, Felipe Ezcurra, Javier Ortega Desio, Tomas Lezana, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Lucas Paulos, Marcos Kremer, Enrique Pieretto, Julian Montoya, Mayco Vivas. Reserves: Agustin Creevy, Juan Pablo Zeiss, Santiago Medrano, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Tomas Cubelli, Domingo Miotti, Matias Orlando.
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ABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
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