By Rex Gowar
BUENOS AIRES Aug 30 (Reuters) – Argentina’s Pumas, fresh
from their best result against South Africa, want to become a
team that no longer surprise people with their achievements.
Having lost 27-6 to South Africa on their debut in Cape Town
on Aug. 18, the Pumas came within a whisker of upsetting the
Springboks in a 16-16 draw in Mendoza in the Rugby Championship
last Saturday.
“I hope that getting into an annual tournament is going
to allow us to not surprise the guys any more,” captain Juan
Martin Fernandez Lobbe told Reuters.
“(We want) to try to play at this level every year and to
reach the level of these three teams that is amazing.”
After a practice in Buenos Aires on Thursday, the Pumas were
flying to New Zealand to face the All Blacks in Wellington on
Sept. 8, then Australia in Gold Coast a week later.
“Our goal is to try and match them. It’s going to demand a
lot of hard, hard work but we believe we have the head and the
will to get to that level,” the number eight said.
“So we hope that in a few years we can say that the Pumas
are not surprising, that they have established themselves at
that level.”
The Pumas have received some advice from New Zealand’s World
Cup-winning coach Graham Henry as a consultant to help them
raise another step in their game.
Continued…
