Jaguares gear up for second season

Jaguares coach Raul Perez says the experience his side gained during their first Super Rugby tournament in 2016 will benefit them in 2017.

The Jaguares, Argentina's Test team in all but name, came into last year's tournament as serious playoff contenders, only to finish with four wins and 11 defeats from 15 matches.

However, Perez believes they learned a lot from playing in the Sanzaar competition.

'The immediate challenge is to put in practice within the group all the experience we accumulated in 2016,' he said. 'We are coming back to compete in the most important tournament in the world and the most demanding, and with a season under our belt it is very different.

'The expectation we have set is to go game by game. And I remember when we played against the Kings in Port Elizabeth, our indiscipline cost us. And I think that’s the challenge.

'Then we will on preparing for the second game, which is against the Stormers in Cape Town, and build on what we do well in the opener and have the ability to change what we don’t do so well.'

The Jaguares will once again be in the Africa 2 conference, along with the Lions, Sharks and Kings. However, this time, they will play the Australian sides and not those from New Zealand.

Jaguares 44-man training squad:

Forwards: Cristian Bartoloni, Santiago García Botta, Facundo Gigena, Ramiro Herrera, Lucas Noguera Paz, Enrique Pieretto, Roberto Tejerizo, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Facundo Bosch, Agustín Creevy, Julián Montoya, Matías Alemanno, Juan Cruz Guillemaín, Marcos Kremer, Ignacio Larrague, Tomás Lavanini, Guido Petti, Rodrigo Báez, Facundo Isa, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Tomás Lezana, Benjamín Macome, Pablo Matera, Javier Ortega Desio, Santiago Portillo, Leonardo Senatore.

Backs: Gonzalo Bertranou, Felipe Ezcurra, Martín Landajo, Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Nicolás Sánchez, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Juan Martín Hernández, Gabriel Ascárate, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Bautista Ezcurra, Santiago Álvarez, Matías Moroni, Matías Orlando, Santiago Cordero, Manuel Montero, Emiliano Boffelli, Ramiro Moyano, Joaquín Tuculet.

Photo: Martin Hunter/Getty Images

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