The Rebels return from a bye week looking to put their heavy defeat to the Hurricanes behind them when they host the Jaguares on Saturday.
A 50-19 hammering at the hands of the New Zealanders in Melbourne brought Dave Wessels’ men back down to earth with a bang in Round Seven. But after a fortnight of licking their wounds they will be determined to put their season back on track against the struggling Argentines.
Indeed, the Jaguares are in the midst of a dismal season, having lost five out of their seven games, with the Rebels winning four from six.
The visitors did however beat the Rebels last year in the only previous meeting between the sides, securing a 32-29 win in Melbourne. But things have definitely improved at the AAMI Park outfit in 2018 with the arrival of Wessels and a clutch of Force players certainly helping.
Despite that aforementioned loss to the Hurricanes, the Rebels currently sit atop the Australian Conference with this game a chance to put some ground between them and the chasing pack, with the Brumbies facing a tough match at the Highlanders while the Waratahs host the Reds.
The head says a Rebels victory but what may give the Jaguares hope is that they claimed wins in Australia against the Waratahs and Rebels in 2017. To win they simply must tighten up their defence as they leaked 40 points to the Crusaders last week, taking their total to 230.
After five matches in Buenos Aires this is a pivotal period for the Jaguares as they now have four games on the road, with a poor return set to see them cut adrift at the foot of the South African Conference. Play-off rugby is of course out of reach, with pride now the buzzword.
The last time these teams met: The Jaguares won their last and only meeting, 32-29, in Melbourne last year. It was a thrilling game to end both sides’ seasons as Santiago Cordero (2), Guido Petti and Gonzalo Bertranou crossed in victory for the Jaguares. Reece Hodge and Steve Cummins would go over for the Australian outfit as Hodge finished with a 22-point haul as he also added one conversion and five penalties.
Players to watch:
For Rebels: The return of Dane Haylett-Petty to the full-back jersey is a major boost to the Rebels’ line-up and he is sure to add plenty, both in attack and defence on Saturday. His arrival from the Force for this season has added a great deal to the Rebels as he’s a calming presence in the air, as well as being solid defensively and a real threat with ball in hand. The hosts’ back three looks strong this week.
For Jaguares: It’s a rare opportunity for Julian Montoya to show his qualities this weekend as he gets the nod over Agustin Creevy. It must be hard for Montoya living off 20 minutes per week so expect him to grab this chance with both hands. It’s a similar situation for Martin Landajo as he has found game time limited so far this season. Both will be vital to the Jaguares’ hopes of claiming a win on the road.
Team news: Dane and Ross Haylett-Petty headline two of five changes to the Rebels’ XV. Flanker Richard Hardwick, prop Sam Talakai and lock Geoff Parling join the Haylett-Petty brothers as new starters, while Jermaine Ainsley, Matt Philip and Lopeti Timani come onto the bench.
Reece Hodge will miss his first match since Round Four in the 2016 season with a hamstring strain, while Angus Cottrell has been omitted.
Both Hardwick and Talakai will start for the first time in their Rebels career, while Anaru Rangi’s form keeps Jordan Uelese on the bench.
Jaguares’ head coach Mario Ledesma has made several changes for their Super Rugby visit to AAMI Park. Up front there’s an alteration in the number two shirt as Julian Montoya gets in ahead of veteran Agustin Creevy, while Guido Petti replaces Matias Alemanno in their second-row.
Behind the scrum there’s a start for Martin Landajo in the scrum-half spot while wings Sebastian Cancelliere and Ramiro Moyano come in to start, with Emiliano Boffelli moving to full-back as Joaquin Tuculet drops to the bench alongside Gonzalo Bertranou and Bautista Ezcurra.
Form: The Rebels’ outstanding start to the season that saw them win their first three matches has stalled somewhat in recent rounds, with defeats to the Waratahs and Hurricanes book-ending a win over the Sharks. They still remain top of the Australian Conference by one point.
For the Jaguares it’s been much more bleak as they have won just two out of seven games so far this campaign. They were well beaten by the Crusaders last week to cap a run of five home games that brought about those two victories, with this their first away game since February.
Prediction: While the Jaguares may relish being away from the pressures of home soil, it is tough to see them winning this. Rebels by 15.
Previous result:
2017: Jaguares won 32-29 in Melbourne
The teams:
Rebels: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Jack Maddocks, 13 Tom English, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Will Genia, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Richard Hardwick, 6 Ross Haylett-Petty, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Geoff Parling, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Anaru Rangi, 1 Tetera Faulkner
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Colby Fainga’a, 21 Lopeti Timani, 22 Michael Ruru, 23 Sefa Naivalu
Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Javier Manuel Diaz, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Joaquin Tuculet
Date: Saturday, April 14
Venue: AAMI Park
Kick-off: 15:15 local (05:15 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: William Houston (Australia), Graham Cooper (Australia)
Television match official: Damien Mitchelmore (Australia)
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