Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias celebrates on full time with teammates after their win over the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias celebrates on full time with teammates after their win over the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Last night the Jaguares tipped over the Chiefs 23-19 in Rotorua, firmly etching themselves as playoff contenders.
Since their inception to Super Rugby in 2016, the Argentinian side has been growing in strength, and now look almost certain to play finals footy.
The upset victory finished off their four-game roadtrip with 100 per cent success, downing the Rebels, Brumbies, Blues and Chiefs, all away from home.
The last time a South African side was perfect on the road was last year when the Lions went 3-0 in Rounds 10, 11 and 12 against the Force, Rebels and Brumbies.
This four-game winning streak is also the longest in the franchise's history - their previous longest streak was three games in Rounds Three, Four and Five last year.
The Jaguares are sitting on a 6-5 record for the year and sit second in the South African conference behind the Lions, seventh overall.
And the side is on track for their best season finish ever.
After 15 games in 2016, the year of their inception, they finished with four wins and 11 losses to finish 13th overall.
Last year they recorded seven wins and eight losses from their 15 games to finish 10th overall.
This year, they're sitting with six wins and five losses from 11 games.
Charlie Ngatai of the Chiefs attempts to bust through a tackle. Photo / Getty Images
So far, the Jaguares have played a total of 41 Super Rugby games since Round One, 2016, winning 17 of them for a winning percentage of 41.46.
In 2018, their pivot, Nicolas Sanchez, is the sides leading points scorer with 94 from 11 games.
Sanchez has knocked over 15 penalty goals, the most for the Jaguares and third in Super Rugby overall behind Damian McKenzie and Robert du Preez.
The Argentinian international also has 18 turnovers, the most for his side and fifth overall - Damian McKenzie stands on top with 21 in total.
Utility back Emiliano Boffelli is their leading try scorer with nine in total, putting him in first-equal in Super Rugby with Hurricanes speeder Ben Lam.
Emiliano Boffelli of Jaguares scores a try during a match between Jaguares and Lions. Photo / Getty Images
As a team, the Jaguares have beaten 250 defenders, with the competition average sitting at 213.
They have also stacked up 4295 metres from 11 games, with the average sitting at 3960.
To put those into context, the top of the table Crusaders - who have played one less game, have 218 defenders beaten and 4258 metres.
The Jaguares have a bye next week before they take on the Bulls and Sharks twice and the Stormers once before the playoffs begin.
They've played the Bulls twice in their history, beating them at home 29-11 in Round 15 of 2016 and lost to them away from home 26-13 in Round Eight last year.
They've lost to the Sharks in all of their four games against them, coming closest in Round 12, 2016 when they went down 22-25.
They've also not managed to secure a win over the Stormers, losing to three times in three games.
However, this year the Jaguares sit above them all on the table, with the Bulls and Stormers having won four games and Sharks three to the Jaguares six.
Nicolas Sanchez of the Jaguares celebrates their first victory over a New Zealand franchise. Photo / Photosport
