Los Matreros: The heart of the West beats in the Top 14

It happened as the unwritten laws of Morón dictate: with the knife between his teeth, the overalls on and that suffering that makes the final relief sweeter. Los Matreros returned to the elite and did so with one of those afternoons that stay in the retina forever. In the debut of their field in the Top 14 of the URBA, the Western team defeated Regatas 27-25, thanks to the right hand of Juan Morales, who in the last breath of the match sent the oval between the sticks and unleashed collective madness.

“It’s a dream day,” said Santiago Villarino, the captain, with his voice still broken. And he wasn’t exaggerating. From early on, La Base stopped being a sports venue and became a melting pot of passions. The red and white took over every corner, facing the blue and yellow of those from Bella Vista. A football superclassic? No, something much more genuine: vernacular rugby at its finest, with a mystique that only clubs know how to build.

The procedure for the game was an electrocardiogram. Matreros came out to eat up the field, with an intensity that erased category distances and allowed them to gain a 14-point lead that seemed decisive. However, the top category does not forgive. Regatas appealed to his craft and, with only three minutes remaining, the story turned around.

It was there that temperance appeared. With the sun illuminating the epilogue and the pressure of an entire tribune on his shoulders, Juan Morales took on the responsibility. Inside. Celebration, hugs and the relief of knowing that the effort of 2025 is paying off today.

“Nice debut, we are here for this and I hope we are here for more,” coach Ignacio Piñeyro analyzed between the celebrations. At his side, Juan Pablo Zeiss, a man who knows about international battles but who was moved like a youth: “winning like we did is beautiful.”

In the midst of the flags, the umbrellas and the boys looking for the autograph of their idols with fibron in hand, the figure of Juan Manuel García appeared. At 41 years old and with the strength of someone who breathes rugby, the historic Pre-intermediate wing (present in the promotions of 2003, 2010 and 2015) summed up the general feeling with one word: “impressive.”

For the stainless wing, the secret of success is not a mystery: “we have a very good group of people, good coaches, I think they have all been moving forward for quite a few years.” And when he is asked about the identity of the club, he does not hesitate: “our strength has always been hitting, pressure and tackling, so that continues, I think it comes from when I was little.”

The party was complete. Because while the first team was celebrating, hockey was also playing and the children were running along the sides. As Piñeyro closed once the heart rate had subsided: “today they played hockey, they played children’s games, the whole club is there and the truth is that that is the important thing, experiencing a club party all together.” Matreros returned. And from what was seen in La Base, the Top 14 recovered a place where the sense of belonging is the main flag. Mission accomplished.