La Dolfina Saudi vs La Natividad
This weekend saw the last of the qualifying matches for The 128th HSBC Argentine Open, with the results determining the line-up for the Final on Saturday 11 December. Although Saturday 4 December saw a 15-13 win for Ellerstina vs La Ensenada Brubank, it wasn’t enough to secure their position in the Final, which was instead claimed by La Dolfina Saudi who came out on top of the Zone A teams and whose earlier 16-14 win against Ellerstina on Saturday 27 November proved to be a decisive tiebreaker. All eyes were on the match between La Natividad and RS Murus Sanctus on Sunday 5 December in Palermo.
After a hesitant start which saw RS Murus Sanctus take an early lead, La Natividad managed to come together and the combination of all four players proved too much for RS Murus Sanctus, with La Natividad securing the win, 17-14, and with it their first HSBC Argentine Open Final spot. This will be the first Argentine Open Final for the Castagnola brothers, Ignatius du Plessis’ second Final and Polito Pieres’ sixth chance; with none of them having yet taken the title they will be seeking the elusive win against La Dolfina Saudi, who will no doubt be a tough opposition having claimed the past eight Argentine Open titles (albeit with an altered line-up), especially with Adolfo Cambiaso seeking his 18th title in his 25th Argentine Open Final.
The 128th HSBC Argentine Open Final Teams:
La Natividad (36): Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola (9), Polito Pieres (9), Bartolomé Castagnola (9) & Ignatius du Plessis (9)
La Dolfina Saudi (34): Adolfo Cambiaso (10), Francisco Elizalde (9), David Stirling (10) & Alejandro Muzzio (8)
Photograph: Jeta Castagnola in hot pursuit.
By Prensa AAP/Matias Callejo