Backy: Pumas will boost Tri-Nations

Thu Sep 17 15:38

I think it was a really positive move Argentina being accepted into the Tri-Nations. Not only will it help rugby in Argentina and the southern hemisphere, it will give rugby across the world a boost. 

The Pumas have emerged as a real power over the past decade and proven they are good enough to take on the leading Test nations. They lost only one game at the last World Cup – their semi-final with champions South Africa – and were good value for their third-place finish. 

There might be one or two questions marks over whether Argentina rugby has the depth to maintain that level year in year out, but the only way they are going to develop is by playing against the best on a regular basis. They now have that opportunity. 

I have always admired the Pumas' power in the scrum and this is an aspect of their game that the southern hemisphere nations will welcome facing. And they know they will be in for a real forward battle because the Pumas take great pride in their scrum. 

I came across a few Argentine props when I was with Leicester and we also have one at Leeds in Juan Gomez. The Pumas foundation has always been the scrum and it is fair to say they have a real appetite for this side of the game. The types of athletes that come out of Argentina seem realty well suited to the scrum. 

To do things well you have got to get excited by it and the Pumas certainly get excited about the scrum. In fact, the only other player I know who relishes the scrum battle like the Pumas is Julian White. Maybe Julian has a bit of Argentine in him! 

The Argentine forwards I’ve come across have a different physique to most forwards playing in the Premiership, and this is a result of their live scrum training. They learn their technique through live scrums. Juan tells me it was not uncommon to do 40-50 scrums in a training session, not against a machine but against another pack.

Consequently they develop a different muscle structure, one that is not developed down the gym. It also means their muscle structure is slightly unbalanced and some of them have required a more structured programme to help develop their athleticism and other parts of their game.   

The Pumas also have some fine players in the backs with real flair and I think their introduction to the Tri-Nations will help rugby to flourish in Argentina.