Playing in Las Vegas is challenging in many different ways and one of the things we always need to put a big focus on is concentration in a city with a lot going on. To go to training, for example, you have to go through the casino, with people smoking, playing the slot machines in a room with little light. Even the rooms don’t have a lot of natural light. So, it is important to get away from all of that.

The leadership of the experienced players is crucial. We give them some off-time so that they can mentally rest, but on tour there is a heavy agenda. We all need to be focused and avoid the distractions on offer in Las Vegas.

Preparing a team is much more than field training sessions.

For the past couple of years we’ve had 40-minute stretching sessions every week with our physio Martín Zucchiatti and our trainer Mariano ‘Ninja’ Fernández; it is only for the players and we’ve reduced almost to zero the muscle injuries. It is their moment, no phones or social media involved, in a nice environment in which they not only work the muscles but give their minds a break.

The sun is also very important and a very good source of energy.

One of the decisions we made as a group is not to use social media during the week of a tournament. They can read them, as today it is impossible not to, but what was agreed is that no-one can post stuff as that generates interest from the outside and it can start a conversation. It is important to be disconnected from the outside, avoid distractions.

As a group, we must build inwards.

Our goals on this tour stay the same and it is to go into the top eight.

In Sydney, we had a good tournament because we’d come from a good preparation, with players ready and very focused, committed and a good game-plan. We had a lot of analysis and managed to cut the opposition sequences. It is always hard for us, we only just get there.

Then we arrived to Hamilton a player short and with no logical time to replace him. To add to that, Tute Osadczuk and Gastón Revol got injured the first day and Franco Sábato couldn’t complete the second. ¡I am considering getting fit to be available just in case!

The day before we flew to Las Vegas we lost Sábato to injury, but this allows us to try Tomás Passaro who has been working with us for a year and has already played two summer seasons. He will stand out as he is 2,02 metres tall. He is a wing but can also play in the forwards. He is not explosive but thanks to his long legs, he is very fast. We ‘discovered’ him in his club’s third fifteen and we now want to see him at the highest level.

What is good about finding players from outside the HP system such as Passaro, Osadczuk, Marcos Moroni, is that you can work with them longer.

This is the last tour we will be able to try the newer player as for Hong Kong we will be able to select players from Argentina XV such as Santiago Álvarez, Rodrigo Etchart and Germán Schulz.

Player development

Ahead of Rugby World Cup Sevens we have a group of Jaguares we’d like to see, but to consider them we need them to go to London and Paris. Even knowing they’ve played sevens before, we need to try them first.

There is talk about the need to earn points for the Rugby World Cup Sevens seedings but we are not too worried about that. A good fixture is always helpful, but you are bound to have a hard team in the group and if you deal with it early on, you avoid that team until the latter stages. And that is good!

Whilst we are in Las Vegas, in Brazil the U18 girls will be playing the qualifying tournament for the Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires 2018. It is a very interesting opportunity. We put a lot of time and effort into this process and the team as part of the growth of women’s rugby. We need the new players to come through and this group is a great option.

We’ve had a lot of support and what is important is that the girls had a full year of development that in turns pushes the standard. We have all the expectations on them.