Top 14 2015-2016 Americas Players

The 2015-2016 Top 14 season starts today with Toulon playing host to Racing 92. In previous years the French league has been an important part of preparing players from the Americas for international duty. The upcoming season will be no different as ten of France’s Top 14 clubs currently have players from the Americas on their books.

Agen
The promoted Agen has been home to notable players from the Americas over the years including tighthead props Omar Hasan and Martín Scelzo who were instrumental in Argentina’s Bronze Medal campaign in 2007. This coming season two props with ties to the Americas are on Agen’s books in the form of Jason Marshall and Dave Ryan. Canadian Marshall is chasing selection in a second World Cup while Ryan is uncapped by the USA but made the preliminary squad for the 2012 summer tests. Also uncapped is Argentine Bautista Guemes who can play fly half or center while Canadian Taylor Paris was arguably the best player of the Pro d2 last season.

Bordeaux
Much is expected of the team who was officially had the highest attendances last season in France. Despite having had notable players in the past such as current Pumas Nicolás Sánchez and Joaquín Tuculet, Francisco Goméz Kodela is currently the only player from the Americas at the club. Rafael Carballo is another name of note to have worn Bordeaux colors.

Brive
Brive is one of four clubs in the Top 14 currently without a player from the Americas. The club lacks the same budget of others and has a strategy of signing undervalued players. As such it also has no French players involved in World Cup preparations. The club previously was home to the likes of former Canadian prop Scott Franklin in addition to Argentina’s Horacio Agulla, Lisandro Arbizu and Agustín Figuerola.

Castres
The remarkable survival story of Castres last season had South American flavor to it as former Castres and Pumas prop Mauricio Reggiardo was brought in as an emergency replacement coach and saw the team rise from deep in the relegation zone to avoid dropping to the Pro d2. Heavily involved was Uruguayan Rodrigo Capó Ortega who is a former club captain and won the 2013 title with the team. Argentine prop Lucas Martínez recently joined as a medical joker while fly half Benjamín Urdapilleta has moved to the club from Oyonnax.

Clermont
European runners-up Clermont retain the services of one of Canada’s all-time greats, Jamie Cudmore. The second-rower has been at the club since 2005 and has featured in numerous club finals, winning the Top 14 title in 2010. Both Mario Ledesma and Martín Scelzo joined Cudmore in starting the 2010 final while Gonzalo Canale was a replacement. Ex-Puma Gonzalo Longo is another former Clermont player of note. This season fly half Patricio Fernández is at the club looking for game time after being overlooked by Daniel Hourcade.

Grenoble
One club with plenty to gain from the World Cup is Grenoble which will benefit from others missing players to international duty. The club’s only players missing will be representing Tonga though former players will be involved for others including Joaquín Tuculet. Additional players to have played for Grenoble and Los Pumas include Diego Albanese, José Orengo and Federico Todeschini. Jamie Cudmore also spent a season at the club in between playing in Wales and for Clermont.

La Rochelle
Argentine Leandro Cedaro remains at the club and is likely to continue getting regular game time despiet being overlooked for international duty. Cedaro turned down representing Argentina to instead be capped by Italy but has only earned one test cap to date and is outside of the World Cup plans. La Rochelle also previously had Ignacio Rodriguez Muedra, a forgotten player who loomed as a longtime Pumas fly half but was never capped after injury complications. Front-rower Andrés Bordoy is also a former player.

Montpellier
Over the years Montpellier has been packed with players from the Americas, particularly Argentina. At present though there are no players at the club at all due, in no small part, to the club’s unhappiness in the dates of the Rugby Championship. Former players of note include Martín Bustos Moyano who is the all-time leading point scorer for the club in the Top 14. He joined Santiago Fernández regularly in the team before both departed for Bayonne. Juan Figallo, Agustín Creevy, Nahuel Lobo, Maximilano Bustos, Lucas González Amorosino and Federico Todeschini are all notable names of the recent past.

Oyonnax
The departure of Benjamín Urdapilleta places a hole which could prove complicated to fill. Also having departed is Agustín Figuerola who has joined Lyon while other players of note have moved to rival clubs. Oyonnax is therefore facing a complicated season and joins Agen and Brive as arguably the top three contenders for relegation.

Paris
Stade Français Paris is a club well known to rugby fans throughout the Americas. It has been home to players from Argentina, Canada, Uruguay and the USA, the same four from the Western Hemisphere who will play in the World Cup. Current Uruguayan coach Pablo Lemoine played for the club which is now coached by Gonzalo Quesada who played in two World Cups for Argentina. Italian captain Sergio Parisse, though, is now the one of only two players from the Americas at the club, the other being Tomás Vallejos Cinalli who joined from Treviso as a medical joker. The likes of Agustín Pichot, Juan Martín Hernández, Lucas Borges, Ignacio Corleto, Felipe Contepomi, Pedro Ledesma, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Rodrigo Roncero, Gonzalo Tiesi, Scott LaValla, Mike James and Morgan Williams are all former Parisians.

Pau
Heavy investment has gone into Pau, a former giant that has suffered against the changing environment of professional rugby in which small-towns are being overpowered. The long struggle, though, has seen Pau rewarded with a return from the Pro d2 and an upgraded, larger stadium for home matches. Currently contracted to the club is Canadian second-rower Cameron Pierce and former Pumas inside center Santiago Fernández. The club has previously housed Canadians Mike Burak, Al Charron and Ryan Smith.

Racing 92
One of the underachievers, if not the biggest, in recent years has been Racing Métro. Now rebranded to simply be called Racing 92 the suburban Parisian club has been back in the Top 14 since 2009 and has constantly been among the leading teams since then. It has, however, not been able to win titles despite having the means to do so. Great investment has seen the construction of a new stadium which, upon completion, is expected to see the club secure its place among the richest and most successful in the world. The new season sees Argentine-Italian prop Martín Castrogiovanni joining from Toulon and Puma Manuel Carizza arriving from South Africa. Juan Imhoff remains at the club while Tomás Lavanini is under contract with the UAR. World Cup squad members Juan Pablo Orlandi and Juan Martín Hernández are former Racing 92 players.

Toulon
The three-time running European Champions have obtained the services of USA Eagles star Samu Manoa who joins for the Northampton Saints. Manoa was a star in England but at Toulon has the potential to dwarf that by becoming a genuine household name worldwide. Manoa will play in both the second-row and back-row and join Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe who has been a vital part of the club’s success in recent years. Felipe Contepomi, Esteban Lozada and Goznalo Quesada are former Toulon players as are current back-rower Facundo Isa and Leonardo Senatore.

Toulouse
Unwanted Puma Patricio Albacete remains at Toulouse and in search of continuing his impressive carrer in which he has been a French and European champion with the club. Joining Albacete this season is Tomás Leonardí who arrived from Edinburgh as a medical joker. Previous World Cup players to have worn Toulouse colors include Omar Hasan, Alberto Vernet Basualto and Nicolás Vergallo. The club is likely to fail to deliver the results it is known for due to the comparable player rosters and long-time serving coach Guy Noves to become France’s Head Coach after the World Cup.