Los Pumas struggle with lineouts in loss to Ireland
“14 of their points came from two of our lineouts that we lost. You’re prepared to attack and suddenly you have to react… We need to be better at those reactions,” stated Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe.
The lineout woes for the Argentine rugby team reached a nadir at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin during the resumption of the Nations Championship. Los Pumas secured only four out of 12 of their own throws, unraveling tactical plans designed by head coach Felipe Contepomi and handing a decisive advantage to Ireland. The performance highlighted ongoing structural flaws in a set-piece formation that has steadily deteriorated despite alterations to the coaching staff, including the addition of Mario Ledesma for forwards and Shaun Edwards for defense. Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, the assistant in charge of that formation, joined the staff in 2019 following a year as a collaborator in Toulon, and has maintained his position through the cycles of Michael Cheika and Felipe Contepomi.
Ireland capitalized on the breakdown in coordination, utilizing the expertise of Paul O’Connell’s pack and jumpers Tadhg Beirne and Ryan Baird. Argentina burned through three different throwers during the match as injuries and protocol substitutions forced constant disruption. Captain Julián Montoya exited in the first half due to a head injury concussion protocol. His replacement, Leonel Oviedo, departed twice for blood checks, forcing left prop Boris Wenger into throwing duties despite his previous experience as a hooker. Despite enduring a forgettable night, Julián Montoya is a reliable thrower. None of the options provided stability, leaving jumpers Guido Petti and Marcos Kremer fighting for scraps against an airtight Irish defense.
Tactical Breakdown and Personnel Struggles in Dublin
The breakdown began early when Montoya missed the target on the opening throw inside rival territory. The pattern repeated throughout the fixture, stalling attacking momentum and generating counter-attack opportunities for the hosts. Oviedo struggled to adapt to international standards following previous difficulties during the August tests against South Africa and Australia. Meanwhile, Ignacio Ruiz remained sidelined with a foot injury sustained in Perpignan, and Bautista Bernasconi was unavailable due to injury. Other options like Franco Molina and Matías Alemanno are solid choices, though they were not called up this time.
Contepomi acknowledged the compounding individual errors after the match. “We made a lot of individual mistakes, we let them have the initiative. When we took it back, we saw some of the things we want to do… but it’s difficult, they’re a very cohesive, well-organized team,” Contepomi said.
The systemic regression in the lineout is not isolated to the Dublin fixture. Statistics across the recent test calendar illustrate persistent vulnerabilities. Argentina dropped four of 11 throws against Scotland, wasted three of 13 against England, and stumbled with a 73 percent success rate against Australia in Jujuy. An errant lineout also halted a potential game-winning surge against England at the close of 2025.
Fernández Lobbe Retains Lineout Role Amid Staff Restructuring
While the rest of the coaching staff underwent restructuring, Fernández Lobbe has remained in charge of the lineout since joining the setup in 2019 and continuing through Contepomi’s tenure. Options exist outside the current touring squad, including France-based veterans Facundo Bosch and Santiago Socino, neither of whom has received a call-up since 2021 and 2022 respectively.