Former Argentina hooker Federico Méndez says Felipe Contepomi’s men must answer questions over their discipline against the world champion Springboks on Saturday.
The Boks and Los Pumas will cross swords at Estadio José Amalfitani, with Méndez warning that the Argentinians face the toughest opponent in world rugby despite the improvements made over the past year.
“Last year was the best level of rugby I have ever seen from Argentina. Felipe has created the best setup the Pumas have ever had. But we are up against by far the best team in the world,” Méndez told Planet Rugby.
ALSO: Davids dismisses Bok ‘warm-up’ talk
“South Africa will be tougher, they are the best team in the world and have the strongest scrum in the game.”
Méndez believes Argentina’s progress has been built on consistency and learning from difficult moments, but insists discipline remains central to rugby’s values following the controversy surrounding the Nations Championship clash with England last month.
The 31–24 win for England in Santiago del Estero ended in controversy when Bautista Delguy was denied what would have been a match-levelling try, following consultation with the TMO.
The decision sparked an outburst from Argentina flyhalf Tomás Albornoz, who has since been charged with misconduct by World Rugby after making contact with referee Angus Gardner.
PLUS: ‘Stronger’ Krappies ready to seize control
“The good thing about rugby is you can always look inwards and try to change and improve,” Méndez said.
“As rugby people, we know that what the referee says is the last word. These are rugby rules. You have to behave. You have to control yourself. It’s been the bottom line since rugby started.”
However, Méndez also questioned the decision-making process that saw Delguy’s try disallowed.
“I would just say in consideration, if you actually check what happened with the last try, you can see there was something wrong by the referee or the TMO. Something was not right.”
Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
The post ‘To beat Boks, Los Pumas must behave’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Argentina hooker Federico Méndez says Felipe Contepomi’s men must answer questions over their discipline against the world champion Springboks on Saturday.
The post ‘To beat Boks, Los Pumas must behave’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
