“It might not make you score tries, but it makes you play for your coach,” says Frankie Deges, an Argentina rugby journalist who has covered the Pumas for four decades. Those sprays have abated in his role as Argentina’s head coach.Īlready fluent in Arabic, French and Italian, Cheika made it his personal mission to learn Spanish after taking the top job in Argentinian rugby, even conducting training sessions and press conferences in the language. The former Wallabies head coach has a history of courting controversy for his animated changing room outbursts, having famously berated Australia with a fiery half-time rant – ironically against the side he now coaches – in 2018. Their marked improvement can be traced to their head coach Michael Cheika, who took over in March 2022 and whose impact on Argentina has been a transformative one. So why is it that this football-mad South American country, who will seek to pull off the rather remarkable feat of becoming the first nation to reach both Fifa and Rugby World Cup finals in the same cycle, are continually underrated with the oval-shaped ball?Īrgentina have recorded their highest averages for points scored, metres made, line breaks and defenders beaten this year, as well as showing consistent progress with their set-piece. It is little wonder they have moved above England in the world rankings for the first time since 2016, making them unlikely favourites against Steve Borthwick’s side when the two face off in Marseille on Saturday.Īnd yet, according to Opta’s predictor, Argentina – a country bidding to reach its third World Cup semi-final following their fourth-place finish in 2015 – have a 5.7 percent chance of lifting the trophy in France, making them fifth favourites, while bookmakers have odds of 20-1 for them to go all the way. Their past World Cup cycle has been studded with two historic wins over the All Blacks, a series victory over Scotland and a first victory at Twickenham last autumn. Fast forward to 2023, and Los Pumas’ rugby stock, unlike England’s, has continued to soar.
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