The 2021 season was one the most difficult in Argentina's history. They went through an unwinnable Rugby Championship, before going on to a difficult Northern tour that produced a single win over Italy.
The culmination of many factors conspiring against Argentina from the beginning of the pandemic was the season. They were too focused on the ‘perfect game' and not on improving each day, like prioritizing the big jackpot instead of steady wins in a casino.
In 2020, the Jaguares were disbanded. Many Pumas players were required to accept contracts in the Northern Hemisphere. This resulted in them being out of sync with the Southern Hemisphere calendar.
They met just one week before the 2021 Rugby Championship, in which they played zero home games for the second consecutive year. There were only four training sessions to prepare them for match rugby.
Last month saw the end of the season as Mario Ledesma, the head coach, resigned after his Pumas won a historic victory over the All Blacks. The Pumas also managed two draws against Wallabies in their greatest ever performance in the Tri-Nations tournament.
Pablo Matera, a former Pumas captain, has spoken out about how Argentinian rugby can be improved to achieve its full potential. He shared his experiences with both the Crusaders as well as Jaguares.
“Everything is a process, something I have learned from watching you guys [in New Zealand]. He explained that things don't happen overnight, and everything is a process.
“It takes hard work to be successful. You need to keep doing the same thing over and over again, develop good habits, and strive to improve each day.”
“Maybe that's not something in Argentina. I'm saying it's not in our country. This is something we must work on.”
Matera saw the positives in the rise of the Jaguares, which showed how Argentinian rugby can be when the right structures are in place. It took several years before the Jaguares got into rhythm and the Pumas had stability.
“If we talk about rugby, it is clear that we have never been stable. He explained that the Super Rugby match was the only time that we have been truly stable in the past few years.”
“We played for four seasons, and we played with the same competition, more or less, for four consecutive years. It was a long process.”
Matera shared his thoughts on the foundation year and how much the side had to learn. Matera said that the side didn't have a gym or any other resources for training in the first year.
We really struggled when we started the competition. He recalled that we didn't know how many physios or doctors were needed to help us.
“We didn't know anything. In the first year, we didn't even own a gym. All we did was learn each year.”
We got better results every year from the first to the fourth year and finally reached the Final. We made improvements every year, but it was all a learning process.
“I believe that's how [the Pumas] should approach this.”
Matera stated that Argentina's coaching turnover between World Cups makes stability difficult, but that they also need to change their mindset around performance.
“The last three World Cups we changed coaches one and a half years or two years prior to a World Cup.” He said that it was difficult to have a process.
“I don't want to get too deep into it but I believe our attitude for Argentina should be about the process and becoming better each day. Do not just beat the All Blacks once, but have a perfect match every time.”
“We must improve our game each step by step. We will eventually be a better team, and we will beat the larger teams more often. We need to continue working on this process.”
“That's what I love about being here. All of it is about learning from past experiences and improving.”
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