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This week’s withdrawal of Bruno Postiglioni from Argentina’s Super Rugby squad left the franchise without one of the team’s top two loosehead props. Postiglioni had been signed to the union for the duration of 2015-2016 but opted to end his contract early to play for Zebre in the Guinness Pro 12.
His move to Italy sees Lucas Noguera Paz being the only specialist loosehead prop contracted to the UAR for 2016. Others are yet to be unveiled by the union but with Postiglioni’s decision Argentina’s Super Rugby franchise is now to require no fewer than two additional players for the position.
It is not only going to be the Super Rugby franchise that will need to adjust but also Los Pumas. Postiglioni was Argentina’s third-choice loosehead prop in 2014 and received game time off the bench covering for Marcos Ayerza in the Rugby Championship. Ayerza is to reture from international rugby after the World Cup but remain at the Leicester Tigers.
Also remaining in England will be Juan Figallo who was utilized mainly by Montpellier as a loosehead prop in the lead-up to Rugby World Cup 2011 before being converted fulltime to tighthead thereafter. He remains a possibility for the World Cup but will remain at Saracens and therefore not be involved in Super Rugby.
New loosehead signings are therefore likely to be less known names with the upcoming non-capped internationals between Argentina and the French Barbarians as well as the Argentina XV’s matches against Namibia, Romania and Spain in the World Rugby Nations Cup set to clarify just who could join Noguera Paz.
Front-rowers in Hourcade’s squad include Matías Cortese, Matías Díaz, Santiago Iglesias Valdez, Julián Montoya, Lucas Noguera Paz, Bruno Postiglioni and Francisco Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Of them Cortese, Valdez and Montoya are the prime contenders to cover captain Agustín Creevy’s hooker position at the World Cup and in Super Rugby. Curiously though all three can, and indeed have, covered prop in 2014 for Argentine teams.
The Argentina XV’s match against Namibia this Friday, meanwhile, is to feature a front-row of Guido Randisi, Facundo Bosch and Roberto Tejerizo while Santiago García Botta, Tomás Baravalle and Nicolás Mirande are to provide cover from the bench. All six will be monitored with an eye to possible Super Rugby involvement as will those facing the French Barbarians.
On contract at present with the UAR are Díaz, Montoya and González Valdez. Their status essentially qualifies as a trial period with all having opportunities to push for 2016-2017 contracts to match those of Noguera Paz and Tetaz Chaparro. Díaz is a prime contender for a contract as a tight-head prop with smart money identifying García Botta as the third while Ramiro Herrera returning from France has also been suggested.
Argentina’s present list of loosehead props abroad is smaller than that of tighthead and the likelihood of one returning is very low compared to that of current squad members signing. Roberto Tejerizo, who recently started in a winning effort for the Barbarians v Ireland, is arguably the strongest candidate. Behind him Julian Montoya could well be the answer.
A contract for Montoya would be as a utility front-rower in a comparable manner to that of the career of Eusebio Guiñazú in Europe. It would give Argentina three hookers, two of whom are very young, and have no fewer than three options for both prop positions.
Providing cover would be academy players coming through the PladAR system. Indeed sources have told Americas Rugby News that it is from the academies that the future players will be coming from sooner rather than later. A motivational factor for this is that the UAR is seeking to prevent another Sergio Parisse from being lost to another country.
