Brendan Gallagher: England roll on but battle-weary Pumas need rest
The Pumas badly need a rest and a couple of months recuperating, but a battered England must go again next week against Australia in the game that could see them equal their all-time winning sequence which came under Clive Woodward between 2002-03.
England went into the game wanting to make their own Autumn statement and to an extent they did that, winning a full-blown Test against decent opposition despite being reduced to 14 men for 75 minutes of the game.
Winning teams find a way to find victories in adversity – as Ireland did in South Africa and Munster against Glasgow recently – and such wins can help build confidence and momentum. They can be an invaluable learning process but in truth yesterday was a pretty poor spectacle.
In fact England clashes with Argentina at Twickenham have a history of being underwhelming, niggly and scrappy and this rarely rose above that status.
Once Elliot Daly was sent off – correctly – the game was always going to be a dog fight although if you are going to play shorthanded for 75 minutes a wing is probably the man to lose with minimal disruption up front and among the midfield defence.
The Daly red card was clear cut, a rush of blood to the head from a talented but pumped up young player not particularly used to playing big time rugby on the wing and chasing and challenging for box kicks. How many times has he done that this season I wonder?
In the post-match Press conference Jones was masterly is distracting attention from Day with his remarkable pre-emptive strike on Australia’s alleged scrummaging irregularities but Daly, one of England’s shining talents, needs to run that entire incident through his head a few times in the debrief tomorrow morning before moving on.
It shouldn’t have happened and can never happen again.
The other big issue arising from yesterday’s game was the serious looking injury to Billy Vunipola who was having another huge match before being driven off on the medical cart. Vunipola has been the lynchpin in the England back row and he will not easily be replaced. Nathan Hughes is about to find out exactly what international rugby is about.
Argentina will be glad to wish adios to a very long post World Cup year. If you include their flying visit to Twickenham last December to play the Barbarians, yesterday was their 16th Test match since they lost that World Cup 3rd-4th play-off game against South Africa at the Olympic Park, a magical mystery tour that has taken in 13 different Test venues across four Continents.
Their lot at present is to travel the world as they complete their rugby education, doubly so given that for the Pumas also read Super Rugby’s Jaguares, who spend much of the year shuttling between Argentina and the rugby hotspots of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. DVT avoidance is a full time occupation. Their manager calculated before the match that they have completed 50 flights and, in terms of miles, flown five times around the world. Too much. Way too much.
“The travel has been really tough, really hard, but on the other hand it’s what we expected when we started all this,” admits coach Daniel Hourcade. “It’s been high level competition all year this year and the travel is something we have to reduce. It’s going to be better next year and the following year will be better again. We can’t complain, it’s something we have to get used to. It’s difficult for our bigger players, but this is our reality. It’s tough but we have to get used to it.”
Indeed, but Argentina also need to help themselves, their selection base is too narrow at present and there is too much strain on key players. They badly need a second Super Rugby franchise and they undoubtedly deserve one but whether Super Rugby is willing to play ball and further change its format is a moot point.
As for their decision not to utilise their players still based in Europe, even during the mandatory Test windows in November and June, Argentina need to think again. Why cut off a resource that has served them so well, albeit with the number of Pumas who have opted to continue in the Top 14 diminished?
This side would still benefit from Juan Imhoff, Marcos Ayerza, Marcelo Bosch, Manuel Carizza, Juan Figallo and Santiago Fernandez at least being available for selection, while the likes of Martin Busto Moyano, Benjamín Urdapilleta and Agustín Figuerola would help bolster the squad generally.
More importantly, tyro young forwards such as Facundo Isa, Guido Petti, Pablo Matera and Javier Ortega Desio should not be denied the chance of expanding their games and minds as well as bank accounts in France.
Players going native in France played a huge part in the rise of Argentina rugby, especially in the development of their warrior forwards and for all their athleticism and abundant skills the modern day Pumas pack doesn’t quite have the nous and menace of yesteryear.
