- Schedule, in Pool D
September 9: England-Argentina at the Stade-Vélodrome, in Marseille (9 p.m., on TF1)
September 22: Argentina-Samoa at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, in Saint-Etienne (5:45 p.m., on M6)
September 30: Argentina-Chile at the Beaujoire stadium in Nantes (3 p.m., on M6)
October 8: Japan-Argentina at the Beaujoire stadium in Nantes (1 p.m., on M6)
find here all the results of the Argentina team
Los Pumas. This nickname is due to an error made by a South African journalist, in 1965, during a tour from Argentina to South Africa. He had called the locals that, thinking their logo represented a puma… when it was a jaguar. The nickname still made recipe. It took until mid-April 2023 for the federation to finally change its logo and a real puma now adorns the blue and white jersey.
- Their best performance
The Pumas have never missed a World Cup. They finished in third place at the 2007 World Cup. The French remember it: the Argentinians spoiled the party for them by beating them (17-12) during the opening match, before doing it again at the end of the tournament, dominating the Blues (34-10) in the match for the bronze medal. The French got their revenge in 2019, thanks to a drop from Camille Lopez. It was the first time since 2003 that the South Americans were eliminated in the group stage.
It is an Argentine selection with a strong French flavor that will try to do better than four years ago, when it failed at the foot of the podium. The coach, Michael Cheika, unveiled a list in June that includes nineteen residents of the Top 14. Seventh in the world rankings, Argentina should come out of Pool D without too much difficulty. ” final » of the group will probably take place against England on September 9 in Marseille. In the event of qualification, the Pumas should find Wales or Australia in the quarters, for a very open meeting.
The forwards : Matias Alemanno, Eduardo Bello, Rodrigo Bruni, Agustin Creevy, Thomas Gallo, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Santiago Grondona, Facundo Isa, Marcos Kremer, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Julian Montoya (captain), Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo, Ignacio Ruiz, Joel Sclavi, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
The retarded guys : Lautaro Bazan Velez, Gonzalo Bertranou, Emiliano Boffelli, Martin Bogado, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Juan Imhoff, Rodrigo Isgro, Juan Cruz Mallia, Matias Moroni, Nicolas Sanchez.
A Puma from the Jaguares who plays for the Tigers: the course of Julian Montoya, the hooker and captain of the Argentina team, is not trivial. First a resident of the Jaguares, a Buenos Aires franchise, he moved to England, where he has been playing since 2021 in the green and red jersey of the Leicester Tigers, in the Premiership. With an ideal size for a hooker (1m84, 115kg), he forms with the pillars Lucio Sordoni and Thomas Gallo a solid first line. Very complete, formidable in the rucks, Montoya is also renowned for guiding the mauls and scoring in force. Long barred in selection by Agustin Creevy, he revealed himself late. At 29, he is considered one of the best hookers in the world.
- Where to see them practice
Playing two matches in Nantes, the Argentinians have chosen to set up their base camp nearby, in La Baule (Loire-Atlantique), on the Atlantic coast and the Côte d’Amour. They will stay at the Hermitage, a five-star hotel of the Barrière group, on the seafront. The municipality has made several facilities available to them (Jean-Gaillardon sports complex, rugby stadium, weights room, aquatic centre, etc.).
- He plays “at home”
Center of the Toulouse Stadium since 2020, Santiago Chocobares scored the first try in the last Top 14 final, against La Rochelle, on June 17. He is definitely a lucky player: for his first international cap, on November 14, 2020, Argentina beat New Zealand, in Parramatta (Australia). Operated on a knee in 2022, “Choco” returned to the field at the start of 2023, gradually gaining strength. He has just extended his contract with Stade Toulousain until 2026.
- The rugby expression that suits them well
“Knuckle Salad” : Argentinian forwards are renowned for their brutality. Argentinian second-line Marcos Kremer received a five-week suspension for dangerous play this season with his club, Stade Français. His compatriot Tomas Lavanini, second line of Clermont, is even more formidable: following a spectacular headbutt during a clearing against Ireland in 2021, he became the first player to receive three red cards on the international scene.