Attitude key for Pumas, says Loffreda

WORLD CUP quarter-finalists Argentina will continue to thrive on adversity, Pumas coach Marcelo Loffreda said yesterday.

Argentina upset traditional rugby powers France and Ireland to finish top of the toughest group and qualify for a quarter-final against Scotland at the Stade de France on Sunday.

“We love adversity,” Loffreda said repeatedly, emphatically and with a grin at a press conference.

Most observers believe Argentina will beat the Scots and reach the semi-finals for the first time after their 30-15 win over Ireland last Sunday.

Loffreda said Argentina would go into the match with the same attitude as all their games, with respect for their opponents and never believing themselves to be superior.

“Knowing the Argentine mentality, it is important for us not to think of ourselves as the better (team),” Loffreda said.

Loffreda, in relaxed mood at the team’s Paris hotel, said a key to Argentina’s success was focusing only on the immediate job in hand and never looking beyond their next match.

“Our main talent (as the coaching staff) is to put the players in a good frame of mind,” said the former Pumas centre, who will join Leicester Tigers as head coach after the World Cup.

Loffreda said focus and discipline were all important.

“Italy played a very sensible and planned game (against Scotland) but failed in discipline,” he said.

The Scots won their Pool C decider 18-16 thanks to place-kicker Chris Paterson, who put over all six of the penalties he kicked.

“We have worked very hard on our discipline. If you want discipline on the field you have to have discipline off it,” Loffreda said.

“We get the players to think only about the game, which is different from thinking about the expectations, the whole scenario.”

He said he expected Scotland to start the match trying to impose a tactical plan, “then if they get no answers, they go for (running) the ball”.

“The Scots are good runners, they have good skills, though they had more of a running game three years ago and now they have become more confrontational in the forward pack.”

Loffreda added that if the game were played in the rain, like Scotland’s win over Italy, the Scots would be at an advantage as “they are more accustomed to a wet pitch and a wet ball”.