Porta essentially a team man

Press, 29 August 1979, Page 26

Porta essentially a team man

Argentina’s rugby captain, Hugo Porta, possesses certain similarities to the “avenging angel” of his country’s World Cup soccer winning side, Mario Kempes. While the fly-half lacks the long, black flowing hair and flamboyance of Argentina’s soccer idol, rugby observers say his game is one of balance, speed of movement and an almost monotonous ability to kick goals. Yet the outstanding Puma appears to have two personalities — the quiet, gentlemanly demeanour off the paddock evidently undergoes a dramatic transformation when he dons the Cambridge blue and white jersey. Undoubtedly, the 27-year-old Buenos Aires architect has been the major designer in the emergence of his country as a respected rugby force in the last decade. His performances during three tours of the British Isles since he made his international debut in 1971 earned him “rave” reviews from a circumspect British sporting press. During his career he has been labelled as a man who handle* splendidly,

kicks with pinpoint accuracy, scores tries, drops goals, knocks over conversions and penalties with almost arrogant ease — and to cap it all off he is reputed to be able to cut a team to pieces when he decides to run. In an interview with NZPA the Banco Nacion club player said comments in the press about him being “the best fly-half in the world” meant little. “I do not take too much notice of people who tell me I am the best fly-half in the world. Rugby is a team game. I like to play the best I can for my team and if we win that’s fine,” he said. Like his French counterpart, Jean-Pierre Rives, he is a rugby perfectionist, and if the enthusiastic comments do anything for him at all they make him trv to lift his performance. The greatest pleasure he has derived from rugby was in leading his country on its reasonably successful nine-match tour of England, Ireland, Wales and Italy last year. “All the players knew what was required of them on that tour and did not give me any extra captaincy work to perform as a result. Sixteen of them are members of this team and we hope to be able to continue on where we left off in Europe last year,” he said. In his methodical fashion the Pumas captain notched 85 point* on last year’s tour and has shown in his team’s training runs in New Zealand he has lost none of hi* kicking ability. In his nine-year international career two matches in particular stand out. The 13-13 draw in the sixth match of last year’s tour to Europe

against an English XV was one highlight while the other involved the near sensational upset victory over Wales on October 16, 1976. On that day, but for a last minute head-high tackle by the centre, Alejandro Travaglini, on the Welsh full-back J. P. R. Williams, Argentina would have recorded a remarkable victory on Cardiff Arms Park. The incident served as a lesson for Porta, and since assuming the captaincy three years ago he has consistently emphasized the need for his men to refrain from indulging in illegal tactics. Not unexpectedly, his period of leadership had coincided with a noticeable trend towards clean rugby. He plays to win, but is an outspoken advocate of keeping within the rules in the process. For this reason Porta is high in his praise of the 21-9 and 26-6 “test” match winning efforts of Graham Mourie’s 1976 All Blade team in Argentina. He enjoyed the rugby against the All Blacks, but admits to a few r jservatjons about the French approach to the game. The second test between the Tricolors and hi# Pumas in Argentina two years ago is not one of his happier rugby memories. He kicked six penalty goals, the same number as the French full-back JeanMichel Aguirre, but the 18-18 drawn match degenerated into a brutal struggle which he would sooner forget. All that, however, is past and the nine-match New Zealand tour represents * new challenge for the man with 23 consecutive ‘‘test’’ appearances to his credit.