Thanks guys!
No worries mike... at home I'm the sole WP supporter among a group of Cheetahs and Sharks fans... hehe
Beeno - it's quite a complex issue, I'd say.
The "Bajada" scrum had some peculiarities. Instead of trying to win the collision, we are tought to "absorb" the hit, and then shove back as a unit, using specific angles and binding (locks wrap their hands and forearms around the props' thighs and not around the waist). All the power is conducted through the hooker.
The problem is that this system requires an entire Argie tight five to work. Most of our players play their trade in Europe, where they rarely get the chance to pack alongside each other. This forces them to scrum in the traditional fashion -- and progressively "erodes" the "feel" for the Bajada scrum. Add to that the fact that in many pro teams nowadays, it's the eightman who manages the tempo of the scrum. Back in the 90s it was the hooker.
Roncero is no longer the scrummaging force he used to be -- he's 35 and took quite a beating during his career. He's still an exceptional prop in my opinion, tackles like a beast, carries well, has good fetching technique... Ayerza is arguably a better prop, but Roncero is critical to the Argie squad as he leads by example. I've watched them train and he does everything with such intensity and passion, that he ignites the team.
Figallo (our tighthead) is a great prospect in my opinion. Despite being 24 years old, he's cemented his place as our starting tighthead. In reality, he played all his career as loosehead. In Montpellier he's used as a LH too. Phelan suggested him the switch to TH as our depth there was vanishing with the retirement of Martín Scelzo (Marcos Ayerza played as tighthead in 2009, against England, and did reasonably well). Juan Figallo is adapting well, I'd say. He's similar to Roncero in that he's quite mobile, and has a good fetching technique.
We have interesting TH props coming through though - Maximiliano Bustos & Roberto Tejerizo.
Hooker is the real concern here. Our first choice hooker is Agustín Creevy (he's coming back from injury, hence Guiñazú starting). Creevy is a player in the Bismarck mould. Former backrower, same type of physique, quite mobile, has great hands (nicknamed "Sonny Bill Creevy" in Montpellier for his offloads), carries well, and is a ball scavenger. He's still getting used to the position, so his throwing is suspect, and his scrummaging is not up to scratch yet.
Guiñazú is a strange player. He's capable of playing anywhere in the front row. This year he's lost some weight and improved a bit. But he lacks mobility and power. He played reasonably well thus far (especially in Mendoza), but we could do better. We have some interesting prospects coming down the pipeline though: Bruno Postiglioni (played for Pampas XV) & Nahuel Lobo (also former Pampas XV, now playing in Montpellier under Mario Ledesma's coaching). With some luck, they'll be used during the November tests.
I expect our scrum to improve against the ABs. Why? Federico Méndez, one hell of a prop (and former Natal player), has joined the coaching staff with the sole purpose of smoothing out the inconsistencies.
Hope that was somewhat informative!
EDIT: Mike -- I'm based in Buenos Aires.
