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State of the nation - Argentina

Tuesday 02nd December 2008

Patricio Albacete: Argentina's finest lock

A year ago, while the rugby world rejoiced in Argentina's triumph against the odds at the World Cup, we also pondered the question: What will happen to the Pumas now their leadership core is retiring?

June did not really give us the answers. Home Test defeats against Scotland and Italy isn't great these days, but it was by no means the Pumas' strongest team out there, and Santiago Phelan had had little or no time with his players. In terms of preparation, Argentina were reduced to Pacific Island status.

November has been different. Argentina have been at full-strength, and have flexed their muscles appropriately. A narrow defeat to France, a convincing win over Italy, and a narrow defeat to Ireland when shorn of some key personnel is not a bad turnaround for a side in a period of re-building and still without any meaningful competition in which to tune things up in.

There does need to be development somewhere and somehow though. The Pumas spend far too much time stalking, and far too little time actually going in for the kill. The defeat to France was because they just did not trust themselves to be able to run anything in, and merely spent 80 minutes hoofing the ball up into the air and hoping for a slip-up from the opposition. It's a tactic used by many teams for 50-odd minutes at the moment. Using it for all 80 is a little bit overkill.

What they do do well is pressurise. Italy conceded penalty after penalty before eventually falling asleep at the sight of another Contempomi kick and conceding the killer try, with the lauded Italian pack never able to get a toehold in the loose.

Ireland also found themselves shackled. Had Juan Hernandez and Contempomi been playing - indeed, had Santiago Fernandez kicked his goals - the result at Croke Park could have been very different.

But the Pumas have achieved what must have been the very minimum aim of November: the retention of their top-four spot in the IRB seedings, and the avoidance of the Tri-Nations countries for the 2011 World Cup draw. It is a healthy basis for the national union to invest a little bit more in the players and the game, and for Phelan to plan for the next three years with more than just eternal optimism.

The next 12 months should be spent looking at the likes of Fernandez, young locals from top Argentinian clubs who could make a name for themselves and get themselves across to a professional club in Europe to continue their development. There has to be an element of continuity. The likes of Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero and Martin Durand will not be around to carry the Pumas through 2011, but they have got the team into a position from where 2011 can be attacked rather than stalked. The next stage for this team is to start finding the new attack personnel.

Star man: Patricio Albacete has emerged as the natural on-the-field leader Argentina needed to take the team forward towards 2011. He will be a few days shy of 30 when the tournament kicks off in New Zealand, and barring disasters, he should be a 50-cap plus lock by then, one who would have played both through the glory days of 2007 and through the re-building phase of now, while all the time learning from and against the best in the world at Toulouse. A work horse of few words and exemplary temperament, Phelan should be looking to build his side around his finest lock.