The resurgence of Argentina under coach Felipe Contepomi has been a major talking point ahead of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship finale in Nelspruit this weekend, but their form under their former midfielder has made them dangerous opposition, and a huge part of that is their ability to keep their discipline in check.
Considering they have one of the players in World Rugby who racks up the most cards in the game in Tomas Lavanini, Los Pumas' discipline in this year’s Championship has been astounding, and has very much been a part of their success.
Contepomi learnt a lot in his time - first as player and then as assistant coach for Leinster and was a big part in the Irish franchise’s success over the years. The way he has gotten his players to focus on the way they play and not stray into the grey areas has been impressive indeed.
NO REDS OR YELLOWS
Take this stat for instance: Argentina are the only team yet to receive a red or yellow card in The Rugby Championship 2024 and have conceded the fewest penalties (50) of any team in the campaign.
In fact, Los Pumas have not received a red or yellow card across their last 12 test matches – the last time they recorded a longer such run was a 20-match span from November 2017 to September 2019.
That is very much the stuff of dreams for any coach but the mountain his side will need to climb to upset the Springboks in their back yard is another milestone he is hoping to reach this week, and discipline will be a key part of that if they do pull it off.
The statistical differences between the two sides are very evident. The Springboks have only lost against Argentina once in South Africa - winning 18 of the 19 tests against them - with the only loss coming shortly before the World Cup in 2015 in Durban.
The win in Santiago del Estero was the first for Argentina against the Boks in the last eight encounters, and they have never beaten the Boks back-to-back in test matches in their history.
'THE DISCIPLINE IS MUCH BETTER'
Contepomi’s coaching style has impressed Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, who played against him and knows him very well.
“Felipe is a guy who has travelled all over the world,” Erasmus noted at his team announcement on Tuesday. “I played against him a lot, he coached at Leinster for years. So he's got all the experience of different cultures and playing styles but he's managed to bring that into the Argentinian team and the discipline which was always a little bit of an issue. I mean, we were the team that got the yellow card on Saturday.
“They didn't get a card at all. They were penalised in the beginning a bit but definitely the discipline is much better and there's certainly a lot of speed in that team and he's really utilising that really, really well.”
The Boks went 17-0 up in Santiago del Estero, only to watch the Pumas claw that back with four tries in the first half. Erasmus has put the tries down to defensive errors, two of which were while they were down to 14 men when Kurt-Lee Arendse was off the field.
“Yeah, the one was just a great move from them which was really well planned. The other one was two individual tackles that were missed. So when you're a man short against a speedy team it happens. Many of that backline are old sevens players, they all come through the sevens system and all of them are quick and agile. We didn't get into a grind with the scrums and the mauls, it didn't really happen for us.”
Erasmus also put the lapses down to the 37 degree heat they played in.
“It was really hot there and the game got loose for those 15, 17 minutes and the second half we managed to tighten it up and as you could see, we almost grinded it back with the last minute or so when we almost got a try. I think the try would have been easier to score than the penalty was to kick. So yeah, it was a defensive lapse but also individuals who missed tackles.”
RESPECT FOR PUMAS
Still, going into this game, with the Rugby Championship on the line, the Boks are treating the Pumas with the utmost respect.
“Yeah, we've got a hell of a lot of respect for them. Not just for what they're achieving currently but what they’ve always been. Agustin Pichot was a good friend of mine and we're regularly in contact. He said on Saturday before the game: May rugby win. But what he's personally done and what Argentina has done for the game is amazing.
“To think that their players are playing all over the world and they get them together and they still perform like this to beat all three southern hemisphere countries. It's only us who got a log point out of one of the games against them.
“But I think it's nice to have countries like that who make it. Sometimes you put them down and they don't get opportunities but they just find a way to climb up again. Sometimes we see ourselves who are also in that boat and we also manage to get up.”
Argentina can win the Rugby Championship if they deny the Boks a bonus point and beat them by three tries or more themselves. The Boks need a single log point to secure the title.