Argentina v Scotland First Test: Summer Tour 2022, Match Preview pt I

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29 Jun 2022 07:30

KO 8.10pm BST (4.10pm local time)
Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador de Jujuy
Saturday 2nd July 2022
Live on Sky Sports Action / Main Event

After last week’s aperitif against Chile, it’s time for the full three course Argentinian steak dinner to begin. This will be the first time in Scotland’s history that they will have played a three Test series against any opponent. Given the potential new structure for the international calendar it may well also be their last!

The dark blues have played three matches in in a row against the same opposition on one other occasion this century though – versus Australia during the Summer Tour of 2004 and the first fixture of the Autumn Series in the same year. It was the height of the Matt Williams era so, of course, they lost all three games by an aggregate score of 100-42.

Summer tours with more than one match against the same opponent:

2016 – Japan. Won 2-0
2010 – Argentina. Won 2-0
2008 – Argentina. Drew 1-1
2006 – South Africa. Lost 2-0
2004 – Australia. Lost 2-0
2003 – South Africa. Lost 2-0
2000 – New Zealand. Lost 2-0
1998 – Australia. Lost 2-0
1996 – New Zealand. Lost 2-0
1994 – Argentina. Lost 2-0
1992 – Australia. Lost 2-0
1990 – New Zealand. Lost 2-0
1982 – Australia. Drew 1-1
1981 – New Zealand. Lost 2-0

Argentina Scouting Report

The Long Road Home

It can’t be easy being an Argentinian rugby player. 31 of their 33-man squad play outwith their home country, travelling far and wide to play at a suitable level of rugby. Not only that but it has been nearly three years – 1,058 days in fact – since the Pumas were able to play a Test match on their own turf. During this time, Argentina have been nominally the home side in matches played as far afield as Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast in Australia and Port Elizabeth in South Africa – the nearest of which is more than 4,600 miles from Argentina.

With that last genuine home game coming on 10th October 2019 against South Africa in Salta there have been no opportunities for the Pumas to turn around what had been a pretty challenging few years in Argentina. Their last home win came in 2018, a 32-19 triumph over South Africa. In fact, since the southern hemisphere winter of 2016 when they beat Italy, France and South Africa, Los Pumas have only won two matches on Argentinian soil.

Ledesma Leaves and Cheika Checks In

Under Mario Ledesma pulled off one of the biggest results in Argentinian rugby history when they knocked over the All Blacks in 2020 Tri Nations Series. The legendary hooker also managed wins over South Africa and Australia (in Australia) early on in his tenure. The remainder of his results were pretty much in line with the tough spell Argentinian rugby has been going through during the last couple of World Cup cycles.

Since beating Ireland to reach the 2015 RWC semi-finals, Argentina have played 65 Test matches, winning 15 and losing 50. (By way of contrast, since that same fixture, the Irish have won 52 and lost 20 of their international games.)

To attempt to lead them back to that level of being among the top four in the world, the Pumas have opted for Ledesma’s old boss with Australia – and an equally take no prisoners type of character – in Michael Cheika. The former Leinster coach has experience of beating Scotland (most painfully in 2015 and also in 2016) but equally of losing to the dark blues (home and away in 2017).

Leading from the front

Skipper, Julian Montoya, is starting his second season as captain of the Pumas. There was a slow build in the hooker’s international career before reaching these heights though. The first five years saw him as perennial backup to Augustin Creevy, bringing energy from the bench, earning 50 of his first 56 caps as a substitute. Since scoring a hat-trick against Tonga in the 2019 RWC he has taken over the number 2 jersey though, starting 19 matches in a row for his country.

He was the driving force behind whatever defiance an overmatched Argentinian side could muster in the 2021 Rugby Championship, leading the way in the defensive effort with double-digit tackles in every game and rarely missing. 37-year old Creevy has returned to the squad but he may well have to accept that the roles have reversed and Montoya is the starter now. After an outstanding season for English champions, Leicester, that’s no more than the younger man deserves.

Miscellaneous

This will be just the second Test match that Argentina have played in San Salvador de Jujuy, with the other game being against Georgia in 2017.
The Pumas’ most recent outings were in last year’s Rugby Championship. It was tough going for Argentina who averaged fewer than half the metres made by their opponents – 269m v 607m. That ties in with some frail defensive performances that saw their tackle completion fall as low as 80% and never rise higher than 87%.
Tomas Lavanini’s disciplinary record may attract the most attention but both Marcos Kremer and Pablo Matera had outings in the Rugby Championship where they conceded four penalties in a game.
Generally speaking, it was always hard graft being an Argentinian forward in the Rugby Championship but with New Zealand running rampant last September, scrum half Gonzalo Bertanou was forced to attempt 31 tackles in a single game. That’s more than Ali Price had to make in the entire Six Nations (where he played 309 minutes).

Previous results

This will be the ninth time the two sides have met in Argentina. The head-to-head looks like this from Scotland’s perspective:

L L L W W W W W

Most recent meeting in Argentina:

Argentina 15 – 44 Scotland

Significant stat
10 – the number of defenders beaten by Scotland’s starting back row of Magnus Bradbury, Fraser Brown and David Denton. While it might have been the backs that made most of the metres and the clean breaks, the loose trio consistently punched holes to get the dark blues on the front foot again and again.

With Argentina’s defence unlikely to be as accommodating as they were last time out in Resistencia, winning the brutality battle up front will be a huge factor in setting the momentum of Saturday’s First Test.

The Scottish Rugby Blog match report from that game is here.

Officials

Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referee 2: Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

This will be Scotland game number five for Mr Berry. Previous experience suggests that when is good he is Berry good indeed but when he is bad he is horrid. In particular, the Scots really lost the run of things against Wales in the Six Nations when there were occasions they were penalised for ‘offences’ with no impact on the ball while Wales got away with slowing possession at crucial times. It’s primarily going to be up to whoever is leading the forwards on Saturday to get the Ozzie ref onside at the breakdown and see if Scotland can’t win the penalty count for a change!

Scotland’s previous games with Mr Berry in charge:

2017 – beat Samoa (H)
Penalties: 18 (For 9 – 9 Against)
Cards: none
2019 – lost to France (A)
Penalties: 22 (For 10 – 12 Against)
Cards: France 1 YC
2021 – beat Tonga (H)
Penalties: 21 (For 12 – 9 Against)
Cards: Rob Harley (YC), Tonga 1 YC
2022 – lost to Wales (A)
Penalties: 21 (For 8 – 13 Against)
Cards: Finn Russell (YC)

Part II of the preview, including the head to heads, will follow later in the week, after the team announcements.

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