On Saturday, July 13, at 5:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular timethe XV of León faces his first game of his pacific tour. His rival, Samoa, comes from beating Italy 33-25, and makes four changes to its squad to play against Los Leones. Spain will face in the Apia Park to a team that now occupies thirteenth place in the World Rugby rankings, surpassing Georgia this last week after their victory over an Italian team that held eighth place and has fallen to ninth. The meeting can be followed live on the channel YouTube of the Royal Spanish Rugby Federation.
Before his debut in the southern hemisphere, Pablo Bouzanational coach, and Mario Pichardiecaptain, analyze the game.
“After a very long trip, it has been a great weekOh, we have been able to recover well,” Pablo begins. “So far everything has been spectacular. It’s the best moment of the group, Now it’s time to move it to the field. The group is very good, very good,” he continues. “We know it’s a very hard tour. They asked me in December who I wanted to play against and I chose Tonga and Samoa and the conditions were met to be able to come.”
Focusing on Samoa’s last party, Bouza ha analyzed the match and spoke with the Italian Staff. “Italy arrived with a single day of acclimatization and he didn’t find his place. We, thanks to having arrived on Sunday, are completely adapted. Samoa changes four players with respect to that match and proposesand a very contact rugby. Everything that is 1 on 1 is going to be something more physicist what we are used to,” he says.
Pablo Bouza
The captain assures that the match “it will be decided ahead. One has to hit them and counteract its size with intensed”. He continues, “if you play week after week against teams like Samoa, Tonga or Georgia, you get used to it and demand more from yourself. Being able to play with high-level teams helps us learn and be much better prepared ahead of qualifying for the World Cup”.
Regarding Los Leones, Pablo Bouza is clear: “The objective is to go maintaining the group and having an identity. I want the players They want to come with Spain. “If we have that, the group will end up working.”
Mario, for his part, confesses that the group “has received with open arms Minguillon and Usárraga, We want to make them feel like they are coming home. They are players who give us a plus. And to debutants and the youngest players, we give them all the confidence because we know that they are going to come out with the knife between their teeth.
After Samoa – Spain, Los Leones will visit the following week Tonga, 15th in the World ranking, to close their tour. The meeting will be held on Friday July 19 at Reufaiva Stadium in Nuku’alofa and will be refereed by Pierre Brousset.
