The front runners for the Pumas head coach role are now coming to the fore.
Former Argentina Head Coach Mario Ledesma stepped down from his role last month and the union is apparently close to finding a successor.
Ledesma replaced successful pumas coach Daniel Hourcade in 2018 after Hourcade brought Argentina to the semi final stages of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Ledesma remained in charge until the start of this year having a 4 year stint in the job.
In 2020, Ledesma brought Argentina their first ever win over the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship. At the time, Argentina hadn’t played a test match for 402 days and their clash against the All Blacks was seen by many as an impossible task. The Pumas had many covid 19 tests, had restricted training and preparation due to quarantine requirements and isolation as they still managed to pull off the impossible.
Argentina came out on top 25-15 over the All Blacks with New Zealand losing back to back test matches for the first time in 9 years. However a winless 2021 Rugby Championship campaign and a big 53-7 loss to Ireland didn’t look the most positive for the Pumas ending their season.
Argentine newspaper, La Nacion is reporting that former Wallaby head coach Michael Cheika could be the frontrunner to get the job. Cheika brought Australia to the final of the 2015 world cup, losing to a star-studded All Black side, and to the quarter finals in 2019.
Cheika made a name for himself in Ireland, winning the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, bringing them their first major European title. Michael Cheika is also the only coach to have won a major title in both hemispheres, also winning Super Rugby with the Waratahs in 2014.
Cheika worked as a consultant for the Pumas under Mario Ledesma and was part of the coaching side that beat the All Blacks in 2020.
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