Super Rugby is set to expand over the next few years; by 2016 the Super 15 will be the Super 18. It will have added one more South African franchise, a franchise from either Singapore or Japan and at last a Buenos Aires franchise. It is fair to say that Argentinian rugby has stalled since the 2007 World Cup, where they finished third. I spoke to the Pumas strength coach, Keir Wenham-Flatt about what this development means for Argentinian rugby.
Keir Wenham-Flatt is a professional rugby strength and conditioning coach with experience spanning five professional teams over four different continents. Currently working as strength coach for Los Pumas, the Argentina national side. He has also worked with the 2014 World Club Champions Sydney Roosters, London Wasps and Shandong Province 7s, in China. Given his current position, he is well placed to discuss the impact that a franchise will have in Argentina.
As an optimist Wenham-Flatt believes that “this will be the defining change in Argentinian rugby.” The coach says that he is speaking as an optimist, but he goes on to give a very clear explanation of how it will improve rugby in Argentina. Daniel Hourcade, the new head coach of Argentina has told the squad that “he expects them to amongst the top three teams in the world by the 2019 World Cup, in Japan.” This is clearly a huge target, but if it is achieved then Wenham-Flatt asserts that “Super Rugby will be a massive factor in it.”
Rugby in Argentina is amateur currently, and it means that most players move away to Europe early on in their careers. The vast majority go to France, where to financial rewards are huge, this provides a problem for coaches like Wenham-Flatt. He told me that, “the length of the season in France means that, when the players come to us in July they are drained and it effects how we develop the athletes.” He outlines why the current situation is detrimental to Argentinian rugby very clearly, but what of the positives?
The franchise is set to be based in Buenos Aries, and the English-born coach told me that they can have, “all the players in one team, in Buenos Aries, one coach, one system, for ten years it will only do good things.” It is almost the ideal situation for any nation. If everything goes as planned with the Buenos Aries franchise, the entire national team will play for the franchise, meaning that they will play together all year round.
The small window of opportunity that national coaches get with the team before a tournament becomes far less of an issue, as the players will simply continue to play, as they do in Buenos Aries. There would be many international coaches who would be envious of that national set-up.
Training with what is effectively the national team all year round can only help Argentina in the rugby championship, and in their eventual target of the 2019 World Cup. Outside of the national set up, it has to be mentioned that the new franchise will help to boost both playing and supporter numbers in Argentina. Keir Wenham-Flatt says that this will be a “defining moment” and he might well be right.
The coach is very interesting to speak to and specializes in speed training. As well as his work in Argentina, he is also a web coach and provides online lessons and information for coaches and players. Well worth a look if you want to improve your speed, as the coach believes that the vast majority of players train speed incorrectly. View the presentation outlining these training mistakes here: www.rugbystrengthcoach.com/speed-guide
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