Jaguares not 'scared' of Shark Tank's superiority

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In the wake of their historic triumph at Loftus Versfeld, a first-ever win in Durban does not seem so far-fetched for the Jaguares.

The Argentinians recorded a historic 22-20 win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The victory could instigate a positive turn for the Jaguares, who travelled to South Africa on the back of a narrow 27-30 defeat to the Chiefs in Buenos Aires.

Saturday’s result in Pretoria, was certainly a good occurrence especially as they were trailing 10-20 with only 10 minutes on the clock.

Nonetheless, two yellow cards to Bulls’ forwards Tim Agaba and Conraad van Vuuren along with the Jaguares’ never-say-die attitude set the perfect tone as replacement flyhalf Domingo Miotti scored two tries and converted his own try for the famous win.

“I thought we are going to give up after trailing 10-20 but the guys kept on fighting,” Jaguares head coach Gonzalo Quesada told reporters after the win.

“In those last 15 minutes, we utilized our opportunities which shows the character of the team – [I am] extremely happy with the away win,”

The Jaguares’ next Super Rugby challenge is a daunting trip to Durban.

The last time the sides met at Kings Park, the Sharks claimed a 20-10 win, however this time the Jaguares are under now illusions of what the South African team can do, especially after watching Friday’s 42-5 win over Lions in Johannesburg.

And to add further pressure, the Jaguares have never recorded a W in Durban.

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“The whole team was watching [Sharks’ win over Lions on Friday] before dinner, but after ten minutes I turned off the TV and said go to your rooms. I think no one has to see that, I don’t want anyone getting scared,” the coach said.

“We were absolutely impressed with the level of rugby the Sharks showed. As I was talking with the staff, when teams are at that level they could beat anyone. On Friday they had one of those days where everything works – mentally and physically they were on a great level.

“We are going there with a lot of respect, knowing our chances aren’t that good…it will be a big challenge for us and we are going to go there to try to improve our rugby,” he added.

By Josh Isaacson
@isaacson_j
@rugby365com