Pumas object to Georgia fixture

ARGENTINE manager Marcello Loffreda has slammed IRB chiefs for forcing his side to play their second game of the Rugby World Cup tomorrow — four days after their sensational victory over tournament hosts, France.

As Loffreda made six changes from the side which defeated the French for the tie against Georgia, he complained it was morally wrong to expect a rugby team to have such a short turn around.

“None of the other top seeded teams, and we’re listed at six of the top eight, have been scheduled to play in midweek. They all have a week to recover, and I find that a bit strange.

“Georgia may not be amongst the top ranked countries in the world, but we know from past experience that it’s going to be a very physical match. We’ve just come out of a game that was tough and physical, and I don’t think it’s fair to the players to have to go through the same thing again.

“It’s not fully possible to recover from a tough rugby game in such a short space of time.

“In other sports it might be different, but not in rugby. We knew the draw and the dates before we came here; we argued our case when those dates were being fixed, but I still think that it’s not right, for any team, to have to play twice in a week, particularly teams that must rely on the top players if they want to make progress in the tournament.”

It was a minor annoyance for a side still basking in the glory of the win over one of the pre tournament favourites.

“Yes, we’re happy,” he admitted. “It was a great win and full credit is due to the guys that took the field. We were quietly confident because we believed we had the measure of France. The French are up and down, in and out of games, we had a simple game plan, stuck to it and they couldn’t cope.”

But he sounded a word of warning: “When Argentina had big victories in the past, something went wrong down the line. We’re now up against Georgia and I’m not even thinking about Ireland. I’ve tried to hammer home that view to the players and I hope it’s sunk in.

“Georgia will provide us with a physical challenge; they’ve got a huge pack and they are a coming force in rugby. It would be foolish of us to think that we will automatically win this game. I think we have shown Georgia respect by picking a very strong team. We only rested the players we felt needed to be rested, because a lot of guys took some heavy knocks on Friday night.”

Prop forward Marcos Ayerza was enthusiastic about Argentina’s chances of making the play-offs. “It looks pretty good right now, but you never bet on things working to plan. We know that Ireland want a place in the last eight and they’re good enough to get it. France, despite the defeat, still have everything to play for and they will target Ireland. Georgia probably won’t beat anyone, but they could cause a lot of problems. It’s going to be a very close call for three teams and anything could still happen. I suppose the crucial match now is the one between France and Ireland. That could be the defining game of the group.”

ARGENTINA: I. Corleto, L. Borges, G. Tiesi, F. Contepomi, F.M. Aramburu, J. Martin Hernandez, A. Pichot (captain), M. Ayerza, M. Ledesma, S.G. Bonorino, R.A. Kairelis, P. Albecete, M. Durand, J.M. Leguizamon, J.F. Lobbe.

Subs: A.V. Bauldo, O. Hasan, E. Lozado, M. Schusterman, N.F. Miranda, F. Todeschini, F. Serra.