Los Pumas will be without the services of Matias Moroni for Saturday's game. The versatile centre can shift to outside back, but has done his damage against the Boks from 13. He was played in the Mendoza test of 2018, logging three try assists as he ripped through the Boks. His partner, Ezcurra, contributing a try assist himself. de la Fuente, the starting 12 this Saturday, was on the bench. One has to admire the depth los Pumas possess at centre, having Hernandez as another option at 12 along with Ezcurra. A lack of consistency in availability is very unfortunate. However, Chocobares looked promising last week, as well as de la Fuente. Ezcurra will be on the bench with Sanchez. Miotta is a very talented player in his own right. It's an embarrassment of riches in the midfield. The bench selection suggests the Pumas will target the Boks quite strongly in the second half. The Boks don't look very fit when put through multiple phases, especially when stretched. Can los Pumas put their best game together? They're a team that too often struggle to put performances into results and sometimes just don't turn up at all. As we saw on the weekend with Sanchez breaking off a highball in the first half, the danger of being struck hard is very real. In Mendoza the Boks were run ragged as los Pumas superbly kept the ball alive. Their movement off the ball is textbook perfect. If they can handle the Bok kicking game, they have a real shot. They were very physical last week and had the better of the gainline. Silly errors put them too far behind too early, which only helped the Boks kicking game. Secure territory and play in the right areas of the field. Force the Boks to open up their playbook. Whatever happens on the weekend, I'm confident that we'll see good things from the Puma midfield.
Pro6,974 posts
20 Aug 2021, 02:58
#1
20 Aug 2021, 02:58#1
