Mariano Ryan
12/05/2020 9:26 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 12/05/2020 9:26 AM
It is impossible not to put in the shaker all the extra-sports that happened in what was, by far, the worst week in the history of the more than centenary Argentine rugby and Los Pumas.
With everything that originated from the almost null tribute to the greatest sports idol of our country when it was thought that, for the outside, just a black adhesive tape was enough.
And with everything that came later with the repudiable tweets - xenophobic and racist - that saw the light on Monday night, the decision to remove the three players (including the captain) from the squad, the apology of Matera, Petti and Socino and their return to the group in 48 hours,
the inexplicable silence of the leaders
and
the feeling of loneliness
experienced by a team that became even more united in adversity.
Impossible not to think that for at least three days the team was with its head set anywhere except in the closing of the Three Nations and in the rematch against the Wallabies.
And, it is known, the mental factor in highly competitive sport is fundamental.
But...
"It was a very difficult week," agreed coach Mario Ledesma and captain Jerónimo de la Fuente after the 16-16 against the Australians.
They both fell very short in that public reading of what happened.
But maybe that's why it all ended in a group celebration, with all the players jumping and screaming, bringing out a contained euphoria.
Bautista Delguy scored the Pumas' only try against the Wallabies.
Photo: AP
The Pumas said goodbye to the tournament in which they competed as equals against two of the great powers of the world with very good feelings when it comes to rugby after the enormous frustration that the elimination in the first round of the World Cup in Japan meant , where the team did not get results and, worst of all, lacked a game structure.
It is not that the balance of the level of rugby offered has been brilliant after the four games played in Sydney and Newcastle, but also taking into account the context of an absolutely atypical year due to the pandemic that affected the world and, above all, the Argentines Compared to New Zealanders and Australians, Ledesma's smirk cannot be removed by anyone.
And for several days.
The selected team showed two faces against Australia in both halves but always with
an inescapable commitment for the tackle, for the defense, for the attitude
.
It was an initial 40 minutes of solidity and opportunism.
Strength because there was firmness to pull back any opponent who sought to penetrate the center of the court.
There, under the wing of Alemanno, Kremer, Isa, Grondona and Montoya, the Argentines became very strong.
And impenetrable.
But there was also opportunism that was reflected in that enormous play that Bautista Delguy culminated with the run that led him directly to the try.
It all started with a winning line and a maul that advanced 20 meters, Ezcurra saw the gap, leaked and the wing took off the last mark with a beautiful
hand off
to land on the ingoal.
Pure defense.
Nicolás Sanchez and Jerónimo De La Fuente try to stop James O'Connor.
Photo: EFE
In any case, it is worth highlighting again that offensive defense that Los Pumas had that allowed to make a base while Australia searched everywhere without finding answers to that question posed by the rival.
At that point the line and the scrum offered good and bad, feeling the absence of Petti on the one hand and finding the granite position of Gómez Kodela as a right pillar in the fixed.
Among the shortcomings, the number of penalties began to be noticed (there were 14 in the whole game), the little obtaining (Argentina finished with just 30 percent) and the territorial dominance of the Wallabies that was almost 80 percent in the 80 minutes.
Already in the complement, with an Australia willing to reverse history, the Pumas needed a better game with the foot to put the ball as far as possible from the ingoal and not go through so much suffering in the defensive aspect to have time to order in that appearance.
That item did not work as it would have been necessary.
It is true that Reece Hodge had the chance to give victory to his team with a moderately feasible penalty that went to the near post 30 seconds from the end (in Newcastle he had had the same opportunity with two minutes remaining).
Would a defeat have been fair?
By the development of the game, it is very likely.
For everything that had happened in the previous one, no.
Definitely not.
