Bautista Delguy scored a late try as the Jaguares secured a 27-12 win over the Vodacom Bulls in Buenos Aires on Saturday. CRAIG LEWIS reports.
Coming off the back of a 40-3 victory against the Stormers, the Bulls might have been quietly confident heading into this clash.
However, the Jaguares produced a performance of real intensity and physicality to claim their first win of the season in most deserved fashion.
There was very little to choose between the two teams during an indifferent first half played in difficult conditions, but it was a try to Matías Orlando that ultimately separated the sides.
The centre was one of the standout players for the Jaguares, and his opening try sent the hosts into a 7-0 lead early on, while Handré Pollard slotted a penalty in the solitary riposte from the Bulls during the opening stanza.
Pollard and Joaquín Díaz Bonilla traded penalties soon after the restart, but the contest continued to call out for a decisive piece of play.
As it was, the Bulls continued to build belief when Pollard slotted two more penalties to send his side into a two-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Just when it looked like the visitors might take control, though, the Jaguares set up a lineout in the red zone, with Rodrigo Bruni bursting over the tryline to send his side back into the lead.
Soon after that, the flyhalf slotted an angled penalty as the Bulls’ discipline continued to let them down, with the Jaguares’ importantly establishing an eight-point buffer.
From there, Bautista Delguy finished off a third try for the Jaguares to ensure that they would come away with a bonus-point win.
Jaguares – Tries: Matías Orlando, Rodrigo Bruni, Bautista Delguy. Conversion: Joaquín Díaz Bonilla (3). Penalties: Díaz Bonilla (2).
Bulls – Penalties: Handré Pollard (4).
Jaguares – 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de le Fuente (c), 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Tomás Cubelli , 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Mayco Vivas.
Subs: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Juan Cruz Mallía, 23 Matías Moroni.
Bulls – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Lood de Jager (c), 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Subs: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Thembelani Bholi, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Dylan Sage.
Photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images
