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Argentina’s tighthead prop complications have taken a further hit today with news that Matías Díaz has been ruled out of the World Cup. The former Super Rugby Highlander had been named as one of three tighthead specialists for the tournament by Head Coach Daniel Hourcade on Sunday but he will now miss the tournament altogether.
Extra importance had been placed on the 22 year old following the loss of Juan Figallo during the training camp in Australia and the subsquent injury concerns surrounding Ramiro Herrera which leave him in doubt for the tournament. Herrera was named in the Pumas roster for the World Cup but requires addition recovering and is expected to be fit just a week before the start of the tournament.
Díaz has been forced out due to heart complications. The Mendoza front-rower was examined in June and deemed to be fit to play only to suffer an episode of palpitations during training last Wednesday and forfeited his place on the bench against South Africa to Juan Pablo Orlandi.
Ongoing studies have been inconclusive thereby preventing a definitive diagnosis. Díaz is thus to be sidelined for a period of two months and miss the World Cup altogether. In his place Hourcade has called-up another Mendoza tighthead prop, Orlandi who has earned 16 caps over a period spanding seven years.
Orlandi made his test debut in 2008 against France in Marseilles at a time in which Argentina was giong through a transition. Omar Hasan had retired while Martín Scelzo was missing through injury. Orlandi remained in the team until June 2009 and would not return until over three years later for the inaugural Rugby Championship.
In being called-up by Santiago Phelan in 2008 Orlandi turned down the opportunity of playing for Italy. He had earned eligibility after having played for Rovigo for 2006-2009 but after debuting for Los Pumas he moved to France to play for Racing 92 for four years before joining Bath in 2013. In England he played for both Bath and the Newcastle Falcons before recently returning to Argentina.
In regards to the change Daniel Hourcade commented that: “the change of Matías Díaz is due to injury and is something that can always happen and so we have a list of players on stand-by in each position. Unfortunately what medical studies and the doctors have told us is that he cannot compete and that is why we have called-up a replacement, so we chose Juan Pablo Orlandi who was with us over the past two weeks.”
Orlandi joins Herrera and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro as the tighthead prop options in Hourcade’s 31-man squad for the World Cup. Argentina will begin their campaign against New Zealand in London on Sunday September 20.
