When it comes to sporting rivalries, few can match the intensity of Boca Juniors vs. River Plate — and Joaquin Moro is making sure his Leicester Tigers teammates understand exactly what that feels like.
Ahead of this weekend’s massive East Midlands derby against Northampton Saints, the Argentine back-rower has been drawing comparisons to the Superclásico, using his own football allegiances to explain the stakes.
Moro, a River Plate supporter, has been battling against a growing Boca influence in the Tigers dressing room. After visiting Buenos Aires last summer with England, Freddie Steward, Joe Heyes and Jack van Poortvliet all returned as Boca fans.
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“Jack told me this is like Boca-River,” Moro said. “They all have Boca shirts, so now I’ll have to get them River ones.”
Moro will be a key figure for Leicester as they host Saints at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, continuing an impressive transition into English rugby. Despite arriving from Pampas with limited top-level experience, he has quickly made an impact — helped in part by guidance from fellow Argentine and former Tiger Julian Montoya.
“When my agent told me about Leicester, I didn’t ask anything, I just said ‘go,’” Moro said. “Julian helped me a lot — showing me around, giving advice. It made a big difference.”
He has already made his mark in this rivalry, scoring twice in a previous derby win during the Premiership Rugby Cup. But this weekend brings a different level of intensity.
The matchup also carries added intrigue between the two directors of rugby, Phil Dowson and Geoff Parling, longtime friends whose relationship dates back to their playing days.
“We’ve shared a lot over the years,” Dowson said. “But now we’re in one of the fiercest rivalries — and I definitely want to get one over on him.”
For Dowson, Welford Road has been a place of unfinished business, having never won there as a player. That only adds to the stakes heading into Saturday’s clash.
And for Moro, now fully immersed in the culture of English rugby, the meaning of the derby is clear.
One thing is certain: whether it’s Leicester vs. Northampton or Boca vs. River, rivalry doesn’t need translation.
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