Pumas to raise the bar in BA
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:51
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has stuck to the squad that edged Scotland 21-15 in Rosario at the weekend, for the return match at Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, this coming Saturday.
Phelan axed only one player, replacement loose forward Alejandro Campos, and added eight others to the matchday squad that overpowered the Scots to extend their unbeaten run over the Celtic nation to eight years.
The coach added the names of Dax wing Horacio Agulla, Treviso wing Lucas Borges, Los Matreros hooker Agustín Costa Repetto, Beziers loose forward Alvaro Galindo, Buenos Aires scrumhalf Alfredo Lalanne, Buenos Aires prop Francisco Lecot, Perpignan centre Federico Martin Aramburu and Buenos Aires fullback Federico Serra.
It was a very upbeat Argentinian squad that gathered on Monday to start preparations for Saturday's second Test, although the general consensus was that they would need to raise the bar considerably if they hope to keep their seven-match unbeaten run intact.
Harlequins Centre Gonzalo Tiesi, who scored the match-winning try in the 80th minute in Rosario at the weekend, admitted that it was a "close call" and said the Pumas should "value" the victory.
"It was very important for our season to start with a win and we achieved that goal," he said of the team's stated goal of preserving their top-three placing on the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings.
"I was very happy to have scored the [winning] try, but we have to move on from this game very quickly.
"We have gained in confidence through the win, in what was a very tightly contested game that required a concerted effort for 80 minutes on our behalf," the midfielder said.
Tiesi admitted that they still made far too many errors, which they will have to eliminate in the second encounter with Scotland.
"We gave away far too many penalties within striking distance and that allowed Scotland to stay in the game," he said of the five Chris Paterson penalties, adding: "They never breached our defence and did not trouble us too much.
"It is important that we work on those errors this week and we will get better as the team stays together for longer periods."
Last Saturday in Rosario was Argentina's first match since the World Cup tournament in France last and they were also without the services of several World Cup stars - who were not released by their French clubs.
Argentinian squad:
Backs: Bernardo Stortoni, José María Núñez Piossek, Gonzalo Tiesi, Felipe Contepomi (captain), Tomás De Vedia, Federico Todeschini, Nicolás Vergallo, Alfredo Lalanne, Santiago Fernández, Hernán Senillosa, Horacio Agulla, Lucas Borges, Alfredo Lalanne, Federico Martin Aramburu, Federico Serra.
Forwards: Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Juan Fernández Lobbe, Martín Durand, Esteban Lozada, Ignacio Fernández Lobbe, Santiago González Bonorino, Álvaro Tejeda, Marcos Ayerza, Pablo Gambarini, Juan Gómez, James Stuart, Alejandro Campos, Agustín Costa Repetto, Alvaro Galindo, Francisco Lecot.
