Stuart Lancaster take note - that was culture. Ambition, elan,
ruthlessness and joy combined. Not borne of headmasterly principles, but
unlocked from the heart. Lancaster had four years, Argentina created a
new culture in three - and, as they demonstrated against Ireland in
Cardiff, their one works.
It is often said that rugby union is a complicated
game, but rarely down in New Zealand. When Agustin Pichot, former Pumas
scrum-half and principal architect of Argentina's rise, asked Sir Graham
Henry how his country might become more successful in 2012, the All
Blacks' World Cup-winning coach replied: "You have to score more tries."
To Henry, it really was that simple.
And so, first under Santiago Phelan and then under his
successor Daniel Hourcade, Argentina ripped up a philosophy and started
again. Out went dour, 10-man rugby, in came a 15-man game that tapped
into the Latin temperament.
"This rugby that we are trying to play, that's since we
entered the Rugby Championship," says Pumas scrum-half Martin Landajo,
whose side have been playing in the southern hemisphere Rugby
Championship since 2012.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
No comments:
Post a Comment