Super Rugby Review: Jaguares

Editor

With the Super Rugby quarter-finalists now decided we take a look at those teams who missed out. Next up, it’s the Jaguares who finished 10th.

Once again, the men from Buenos Aires failed to kick on after impressing during the early stages of the competition.

Although they have improved from 13th in their inaugural season last year to finish in 10th position on the overall table, there were plenty of similarities to their 2016 campaign which once again hampered their progress in the tournament.

And like last year, they eventually finished third in the Africa 2 Conference although they fared better this year and notched 11 more points in the standings than their 2016 effort.

The Jaguares kicked off their campaign with a win over the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth but lost their next match to the Stormers in Cape Town.

They then headed to Buenos Aires where they beat the Lions, Cheetahs and Reds which put them amongst the frontrunners during the tournament's early stages, but then lost away from home to the Sharks, Bulls and Lions although they were competitive in all those matches.

Those three losses seemed to knock the wind out of their sails and upon their return to Buenos Aires they also lost their corresponding fixture against the Sharks.

They bounced back with an impressive win over the Sunwolves at home but were then beaten in their backyard by the Western Force, Brumbies and the Kings.

Despite finishing off the home matches on that low note, they did well on their first tour of Australia and bounced back with victories over the Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels.

The Jaguares' discipline – or lack thereof – was once again a problem for head coach Raúl Pérez and the side amassed 12 yellow cards during their campaign, which is four more than their 2016 return and one less than the Reds who fared worst in that department in 2017.

Missing out on the play-offs for the second successive year will be disappointing as the Jaguares have several top class international players in their ranks with stalwarts like captain Agustin Creevy, Joaquin Tuculet, Pablo Matera and Nicolás Sánchez proving again that they are amongst the best players in their respective positions in the competition.

The Jaguares were also struck down by their fair share of injuries and being without experienced players like Martin Landajo, Juan Martín Hernández and Tomas Lavanini at various stages of the season did not help their cause.

Losing their best player from 2016, Facundo Isa – who opted to further his career with Lyon in the Top 14 – was also a big setback and although Leonardo Senatore did a good job as his replacement, Isa's dynamism with ball in hand was sorely missed throughout the campaign.

Best player: Full-back Joaquin Tuculet is one player who played consistently well for the Jaguares and it is little surprise that the 27-year-old was an ever-present in the Jaguares' run-on side during their campaign. He was the only member of their squad who played in more than one thousand minutes (1115) during the season. Tuculet shone on attack and crossed the whitewash on five occasions but also was solid in the last line of defence and caught the eye with his bravery when fielding high balls.