Rugby
2011-09-25 - Argentina vs Scotland
A Sports Betting Pick by Mike
Rugby : Rugby World Cup 2011 : Pool B
Sunday, 25th September 2011 - Kickoff 8:30pm (local)
IRB Ranking: Scotland 8, Argentina 9
So, by the numbers, there's not much between the teams in this game. The winning team however is likely to get through to the quarter-finals and as such it is a key game for both teams.
Argentina
The Puma's Rugby World Cup 2011 scores to date:
10 September Argentina 9 - 13 England
17 September Argentina 43 - 8 Romania
Team and Tactics
Coach Santiago Phelan's team to play Scotland is as follows:
1. Rodrigo Roncero, 2. Mario Ledesma Arocena, 3. Juan Figallo, 4. Manuel Carizza, 5. Patricio Albacete, 6. Julio Farias Cabello, 7. Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 8. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 9. Nicolás Vergallo, 10. Santiago Fernández, 11. Horacio Agulla, 12. Felipe Contepomi (c), 13. Marcelo Bosch, 14. Gonzalo Camacho, 15. Martín Rodríguez
Replacements: 16. Agustín Creevy, 17. Martín Scelzo, 18. Mariano Galarza, 19. Genaro Fessia, 20. Alfredo Lalanne, 21. Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 22. Juan Jose Imhoff
Argentina's starting XV shows only one change from the team which played their opening match against England and that is only due to the injury which put centre Gonzalo Tiesi out of the World Cup.
A feature of the side is the naming of captain Felip Contepomi at second five-eigth. Contepomi was injured in the game against England and has been iffy all week but his goalkicking is key to. He'll wear a a rib protector, but must still be considered questionable.
Overall Argentina play passionate rugby with a renowned forward pack and are well drilled in defence.
Scotland
I've found Scotland the most disappointing of the tier-one rugby nations in the Rugby World cup play to date. The two Scotland victories over rugby wannabes-but-not-quite-there-yets Georgia and Romania were far from resounding.
Scotland's Rugby World Cup 2011 scores to date:
10 Sep Scotland 34 - 24 Romania
14 Sep Scotland 15 - 6 Georgia
Scotland are going to have to reach another level to beat Argentina. Scotland did, however, beat Argentina twice in South America last year. They have some high calibre players and if they fire on the night will be unbeatable.
Team and Tactics
Coach Andy Robinson's team to play Argentina:
1. Allan Jacobsen, 2. Ross Ford, 3. Geoff Cross, 4. Richie Gray, 5. Jim Hamilton, 6. Ally Strokosch, 7. John Barclay, 8. Kelly Brown, 9. Rory Lawson (c), 10. Ruaridh Jackson, 11. Sean Lamont, 12. Graeme Morrison, 13. Nick De Luca, 14. Max Evans, 15. Chris Paterson
Replacements: 16. Dougie Hall, 17. Alasdair Dickinson, 18. Nathan Hines, 19. Richie Vernon, 20. Mike Blair, 21. Dan Parks, 22. Simon Danielli
Notable absence: lock and captain Alastair Kellock.
It looks like Robinson has changed his forward combination with the view of creating a team with ability to play quickly and create some advantage in open play. Whether they will be able to attack with the pace and depth necessary to beat the Pumas is hard to say. The Scots need to play passing rugby and not let the game deteriorate into a kicking game (especially if Argentina captain Contepomi's rib holds out).
Other Variables
The Referee : Wayne Barnes (ENG)
The Venue : Wellington
The Weather : Wind. Gotta be. Cold southerly winds with a few showers. Not one for stylish error-free handling. Expect a grinding game.
The Verdict
It's going to be an incredibly tight game, a close game, but Scotland will want it just more than Argentina. The thought of Scotland able to tackle an under-form England in their next game will help with motivation.
The Pick :
Scotland to win
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'm on Scotland to win.Take the 2.50 at Bet365
