Some people regard try scoring as an art, others as a science. One gets the impression that Santiago Pernas couldn't care less, so long as he is able to keep doing it.
By most metrics, Pernas is living the dream. His club franchise, Pampas, are level on points at the top of the Super Rugby Americas table, he is the league's top try scorer, and he is fresh off scoring a brace in front of his country's head coach. All this before the age of 21.
It has been something of a meteoric rise for a player who was still playing regional rugby as recently as November. His former club, Alumni, made it all the way to the final of their Buenos Aires league and Pernas scored eleven tries in twenty-two games. Most wingers would be happy with that strike rate – few would demand more from themselves. Pernas' record of six tries in his first five Pampas games marks him out as one of those few.
Given his age and his new profile, a person in Pernas' position could be forgiven for briefly taking their foot off the gas. I even gave him the opportunity to bask in his achievements when I asked if any of the six tries this season stood out above the rest.
As many opposition defenders could have warned me, it is a grave mistake to think you know what Pernas is going to do next. His response speaks volumes about his attitude and is one of the reasons that his try tally won't stand still for long.
He said: “I like them all, but the ones I think about most are the ones I didn't score.”
Another such reason is the environment in which Pernas has made the breakthrough into professional rugby. The opportunity to hone his craft is one he is determined to take advantage of.
“I love the work. Before I was only able to train twice a week but now I get to go again and again,” he added.
He is full of praise for his Pampas teammates and for the way head coach and former Argentina international, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, has brought the group together. It is on topics like this that he appears most at ease. One gets the feeling he would happily extend our conversation indefinitely if it meant we could discuss patterns of play in greater depth.
“There is a move that we run a lot where I arrive late on the fly half's shoulder,” Pernas said.
It is a move that has directly led to several of Pernas' tries already this season, but it appears others have noticed too.
He added: “We tried to run it against Selknam but they were waiting for me.”
There aren't many players who would volunteer a story that ends with the defensive door shutting abruptly before their eyes. Even fewer would do so with such relish. Pernas knows opposition players and coaches have been discussing him in the build-up to games. Like all players destined for the top, he even seems to enjoy it.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Pernas' upward trajectory is that he has only recently transitioned to the wing, having played every other position in the backline during his teens. He credits All Black Mark Telea as an important influence on his game but there is more than a hint of Damian Penaud about the way he looks for work and Chris Ashton would have been proud of some of his support lines. Such comparisons are commonplace in the media and rarely tell the entire story but players' responses to hearing them often speak volumes for the kind of people they are.
He replied: “We have lots of great wingers here in Argentina too.”
I am once again reminded how little I envy Pernas' opponents. This individual is hard to pin down.
He is right to point to the many high-quality players Argentina have to call upon in his position. New head coach Felipe Contepomi's first training squad is dominated by players based in Europe but he is keeping a very close eye on the two Argentinian franchises. Pernas is undoubtedly one of the players that will have caught his eye in recent weeks.
“We met briefly and said hi, but I have not spoken with him yet. Of course, I would like a call one day but, for now, I just focus on the things I can control,” he added.
Pernas is wise to focus on improving and it is worth remembering that he is only five games into his professional career. One thing that is certain though, no matter where they are based, is that players who score tries at the rate of Santiago Pernas tend to find their way to test rugby. If he keeps finding the line, that call might come faster than he thinks.
Written by Joe Santamaria with photos from Gonzalo Prados
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