State of the Nation: Brave Argentina show their grit at Rugby World Cup
Now that the dust has settled on another memorable Rugby World Cup, we bring you our State of the Nations pieces. Next up, it’s semi-finalists Argentina.
Los Pumas had endured a mixed 2023 before heading to France with limited success, but they had still grown tremendously since Michael Cheika took over the head coaching role in 2022 where he had led his side to several notable victories.
The opportunity to build on that was certainly there with England and Japan being the main competitors for the two knockout spots, giving the South Americans a realistic chance to advance, of which they obliged, ultimately going deep into the tournament.
Tournament summary
It was just last November when Argentina triumphed over England at Twickenham and they would have been licking their lips heading into their pool stage opener. But it quickly turned to disaster.
England were the side who got an early red card to Tom Curry, opening the door for Argentina to claim a crucial win. However, it did not turn out that way as a tactical masterclass from George Ford that included three drop goals downed Los Pumas. The Argentines got it completely wrong on the day but it proved to be a crucial wake-up call.
That was always their most difficult clash in the pool and the team just had to keep it clean against all the others, which they did. Against Samoa, they showed guts whilst the clash with Chile was historic as it was the first meeting of two South American sides in a World Cup.
As the team went deeper in the tournament the big players continued to stand up until the All Blacks ended their hopes of a final appearance. Third spot would subsequently evade Los Pumas as England held off a late surge in Paris.
Standout players
The player of the tournament for Los Pumas is undoubtedly Marcos Kremer who was tireless and fearless on both sides of the ball. The flank’s engine was so impressive to see and the amount of work he got through was incredible. He crucially stood up even more after the injury to Pablo Matera. Kremer was a great example of how important a hard-working and powerful back-row is to any team’s success at the highest level. What a player.
Thomas Gallo embodies exactly what it is to be a modern prop. His set-piece is outstanding in his own right, as it should be for a front-row, but where he sets himself apart is his mobility in the loose. Few props can travel the distance Gallo does and although he is slightly smaller he is still brilliant in the carry through his evasive running. At just 24 years old it is clear the Argentine superstar has a lot of Tests ahead of him if his body allows.
It may not have been the supremely accurate goal-kicking Emiliano Boffelli during the tournament but the wing was certainly a massive player, particularly in the latter stages where he did find his kicking boots. It would be criminal to only view him as goal kicker, the wing is so much more than that. He has a natural finishing ability but where he ranks very highly in the world is his aerial prowess. The Los Pumas star was a soaring success in the air, spilling very few high balls and mitigating against opposition tactics.
Statistic leaders
Kremer dominated the tackle charts throughout the tournament, racking up a ridiculous 92 tackles as he absolutely smashed the previous World Cup record of 83 from Taulupe Faletau. He was not just busy defending but also hit the most rucks for Argentina with 189 and played the most minutes of the tournament with 530.
Juan Cruz Mallia made the most carries with 67 in France. The full-back was solid all tournament long and looks to have matured quite nicely into the 15 jersey.
Prop superstar Gallo beat a whopping 24 players during the tournament, the record for a front-rower at World Cups. As mentioned the Argentine is destined to be a great star for his country.
Wise old head Agustin Creevy reached 22 World Cup appearances whilst in France, taking him alongside Richie McCaw and Jason Leonard as the second most caps in the tournament’s history. Only the great Sam Whitelock has more.
Success story
Character and fight is the short answer. It must be said that the opening loss to England with an extra man for almost the entire game was a massive concern, with many fans almost immediately ruling them out of success. The team looked half the side they actually are.
It is easy to let such a loss derail the entire campaign but they showed composure and tenacity and slowly started rebuilding. Against Japan, it was a must-win pool game and they produced. In the quarter-final against Wales, the team played with far more maturity and tactical nous, winning the big moments. Veterans stood up too. The images of Nicolas Sanchez running in under the posts to bury the Welsh are a great testament to that.
Reaching the semi-final was a box ticked for the side who obviously would have wanted to advance but they fulfilled their potential by making the final four.
Cheika’s tenure with the side has been crucial and importantly Felipe Contepomi has been part of the structures for some time now and is the obvious next choice for head coach. The power in this is there should be a smooth and simple coaching transition if and when it happens. This team has grown so much since joining the Rugby Championship and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
Main regret
The main regret is two-fold and intertwined. Whilst that loss against England in the opener was partly a blessing in disguise, it almost forced the team to build up from scratch which they did brilliantly, as mentioned, but it may have robbed them of that perfect showing.
Of course, they had some really impressive big performances, notably against Wales and Japan, but it still felt as though it was not completely coming together. Facing England for the second time was a golden opportunity to get revenge for their poor opener and whilst they nearly did, Argentina will be the first to admit it wasn’t their perfect game.
After the amazing wins over New Zealand and Australia between World Cups, fans would have expected that kind of performance at some point in France.
Results
Argentina v England (lost 10-27)
Argentina v Samoa (won 19-10)
Argentina v Chile (won 59-5)
Argentina v Japan (won 39-27)
Argentina v Wales – quarter-final (won 29-17)
Argentina v New Zealand – semi-final (lost 6-44)
Argentina v England – bronze final (lost 23-26)
