MARSEILLE, France — Marcelo Bosch assesses the nature of sporting underdogs and how that mentality will help Argentina in their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against Wales on Saturday.
It’s mid-morning in Marseille, the calm before the storm of the weekend’s quarter-finals, and he’s been talking non-stop for almost an hour about the sport he loves, Argentina and the World Cups. world. His glittering career took him from the obscurity of low-level rugby in Argentina and his home of Buenos Aires, to the Top 14 and Biarritz and then to the all-conquering Saracens. It’s full of trophies, full of international experiences and the kind where he can sit comfortably in the famous Vieux Port and proudly reflect on a well-lived career.
But when he considers the underdog mentality and Argentina at the World Cup, it’s the first time he thinks about his answer.
“The nature of the oppressed is a very interesting question because it touches on the emotional side of the Argentine people. It touches on the mentality that we have,” Bosch told ESPN. “The fact is that we have always been under these [other teams] Due to our professional setup and structure in Argentina, we did not have a professional rugby league.
“So we’ve always looked to play against the best teams thinking that, of course, they’re better, but we feel like we’re confident in what we can produce. And that emotion and that feeling that we could still play has given us gave good results. results.”
In 2007, the Pumas started under the radar, but reached the semi-finals playing a style of rugby that was acclaimed by fans around the world. Then came 2011, where they met the All Blacks in the quarters, but in 2015 they returned to the last four after beating Ireland 43-20, emulating those heroes of 2007 and once again threatening to destabilize the established order.
The 2023 group is back there, to some extent. They came into this tournament after their historic victory over the All Blacks in 2022 and a mixed pre-World Cup campaign where they won in Australia but also struggled for consistency. It was an interesting balance in their first match against England, who entered the tournament in dismal form.
Against England, Argentina froze in what was supposed to be a 50/50 match. England had George Ford in inspired form as he led the 14-man England squad – with Tom Curry sent off in the second minute – to a 27-7 victory.
“When we are underdogs, when we are in that moment, as a rugby team in the sense that we feel that we are less, but deep down we feel that we can do it, that always brings the best of the team. I I think maybe against England, basically — I’m not part of the team — I feel like we can’t do it the right way to be favourites. ”
Bosch, 39, finished the sport in 2019. His resume includes two Premiership titles and two Champions Cup triumphs with Saracens. He will go down as one of the most respected away centers of the modern era.
But Bosch is also amazed when he talks about his career. His memories of being coached by current Portugal coach Patrice Lagisquet in 2006 in Biarritz have stayed with him; and as he recalls his memories of Biarritz and the Saracens, one gets the feeling that he is still pinching himself to believe that what he accomplished was real. Bosch was an exceptional outside center, his wonderfully onomatopoeic name reflected through his defensive genius and precision off the tee all over the court.
This time he is at the World Cup in a role as a television pundit and rugby analyst for ESPN and Star+, and has witnessed the evolution of the sport. “A lot has changed in my opinion,” he says. It refers to how teams prepare and the data that underpins their performance, both individually and collectively. “There are more and more details in every aspect of the game. And in the game itself, I also think it has changed a lot. The World Cup that I played in 2011 and the one that I playing in 2015, the style of rugby, the two began to change a little.
“I think in 2015 you could see more teams playing with the ball in their hands. And all of a sudden it started to move towards the kicking game again. But in more and more detail today everything is, in some way, studied, the preparation of how you view the opponent in all aspects of the game in relation to your game plan, even defensively.
“When you see teams these days, they have to execute under pressure. And before it was maybe more of a controlled defense, and now it takes a lot of line speed to try and put pressure on the opposition .”
He loved participating in this tournament, appreciated the ambition of Portugal and the performances of Uruguay and Fiji. There are two quarter-finals in Marseille this weekend, with England-Fiji the second act after Wales-Argentina. Bosch will be there both days and on Sunday he will see many of his former teammates racing alongside Steve Borthwick, including the man who steers the ship. He played his entire career at Saracens alongside Owen Farrell and saw the youngster develop into one of the best players in the world.
“If I was English I would cherish him, I would cherish a guy like him because he always tries to bring the best out of the team,” Bosch said of Farrell. He is humble, hardworking and he tries to lift the whole team, because he wants to win. When you hear not only about me, but also his teammates from Saracens, the English team, the British Lions and Irish, everyone talks about him so much.
“Owen is a leader. And when he sees the team not performing at the level he thinks they can perform at, he’s one of the leaders that says, listen guys, we need to be at a high level of preparation and detail, but “He will not manage you by a man. He is a guy who will always remind you in every training session, in every meeting, of the necessary standards. I’ve always taken him positively because he wants to get the best out of the team.
“He wants to reach a level that few professional players are willing to reach, and to get there you have to be a little obsessed with your work. But when you meet him, I would say he’s a lovely guy. He’s humble , adorable.”
Bosch also knows why England manager Borthwick is so highly regarded by everyone he has played and coached with. When Bosch arrived at Saracens in 2013, Borthwick was in his final season as a player. “He was my first captain [at Saracens]. And to be honest, I loved him,” Bosch says. “He was a captain who gave other leaders space. He is the ideal person to get the most out of the team and other leaders within and give other leaders a place to lead. We have all become leaders; others from the scrum, others from the defense, others from the game plan, others from the decision making, others from the team bond.
When you have a captain and coaches who give you the space to lead in that sense, you feel like I’m going to take it with both hands. Emotionally, you attach yourself to it because you feel like everyone else does part of something special.
“Steve Borthwick was very quiet, but he led by example. Maybe he could be quiet inside the gates, but not so quiet when he has to say something. Some of those speeches before matches were amazing. He found a way to touch your feelings and you wanted to perform for this man.
Before seeing his former teammates Jamie George, Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje and Farrell take on Fiji on Sunday, it’s all about Argentina and their mission to knock Warren Gatland’s impressive Welsh side out of the World Cup. “Wales have a lot of emergency work around the ball,” says Bosch. “You can never underestimate them, they have a sense of belonging and a feeling of fighting for every inch of the game.
“They are a patient team. They play at the right time, in the right parts of the pitch. I think they are very clear in their heads. I really like the back line. [Jac] Morgan, he’s an incredible player and he’s the new leader. We can say that they have experience and leadership. »
Argentina’s cause was not helped by the loss of one of its stars. Bosch won 39 caps for the Pumas and experienced first-hand their ability to peak at World Cups, but they will face Wales on Saturday in Marseille without their brilliant back-rower Pablo Matera.
“Not having Matera is a big blow, not only for his sense of quality but also for his leadership, but things happen in the World Cup in teams. And it gives an opportunity to a player who has been waiting for an opportunity for for a long time it’s Facundo Isa.
“Look, when the team arrived at the World Cup, they arrived in good shape but they were shocked by that first match against England. Since then, Argentina, I felt like “having lost confidence. Argentina came to this World Cup trying to play a certain aspect of the game, a certain way of playing with the ball in hand and as a result they had to recalibrate the way they played. They managed to beat Samoa, showing some good things, but not their full potential. Against Japan, I think we started to see some shades of what they can produce most in attack, and they were good defensively. I think they’ve got another level to go. If they beat Wales they’ll have to go up another level but they know deep down they can do it.”
This all adds up to the narrative that Argentina is an underdog. It’s a familiar mindset, one they thrive in as the Pumas look to reach the last four in another tournament with their fearless style of rugby.
“I don’t think we are favorites at all,” Bosch said. “Looking at the World Cup now, I think Wales are coming in in better shape. I think they are the favourites, but it’s a quarter-final and Argentina are on top.
“If Argentina wants to be competitive on Saturday, they need to move to another level in the sense that, defensively, they need to perform better, have a better kicking game in their 22, and come out after receiving restarts. I think that in this sense, “In this sense, they were poor against Japan, they need to build, they need to build, play better. But if they do and have a better set piece, watch out. ”
