Who are to be the additional 15 Argentine Super Rugby players?

Who are to be the additional 15 Argentine Super Rugby players? It is a question of great interest to many and one which Americas Rugby News has indeed been asked. Argentine authorities have made it clear that the current roster of 30 players will increase to 45 but not all involved in Super Rugby will in fact have a contract.

Five Identified
The 30 under contract started their fulltime training regime in Buenos Aires on Monday where they were joined by five players not under contract with the UAR. The five were loosehead prop Felipe Arregui, tighthead prop Cristian Bartoloni, scrumhalves Gonzalo Bertranou and Felipe Ezcurra and hooker Facundo Bosch.

Uncoincidently the five players play in positions which were at numerical disadvantages compared to others. Their training with the roster means their respective positions now all have three specialists.

Ten More
Of the 35 in training there are three hookers, three loosehead props, three tighthead props, four second-rowers, six back-rowers, three scrumhalves, three fly halves, four centers, three wingers and two fullbacks. Certain individual positions require greater depth than others which is reflected in the 30 players on fulltime contracts and will certainly be replicated in the greater roster of 45.

A number of players offer utility value and will be used as such by Raúl Pérez in Super Rugby games. Juan Martín Hernández started at fly half against Namibia one week and inside center against Ireland the next. Another veteran, Juan Manuel Leguizamón has experience in all three back-row positions and Matías Moroni started World Cup matches as a winger and a center.

There are also instances from those who did not play at the World Cup such as Gabriel Ascárate who played fly half for Carcassonne but inside center for Glasgow and 20 year old Emiliano Boffelli who can play center, wing or fullback. As such while there are ten positions this need not mean that the 10 vacancies will go to one player per position.

Forwards
With Facundo Bosch training ahead of Tucumán’s Santiago Iglesias Valdez many may be quick to suggest that Ignacio Valdez is now the fourth in line in the hooker hierarchy. It is far from a foregone conclusion though as Tomás Baravalle is also an equally strong possibility.

With Juan Pablo Orlandi and Lucas Martínez having departed for France and Bruno Postiglioni for Italy prop is more wide open. The health problems of Matías Díaz further complicate the picture as does the performances of Roberto Tejerizo for the Argentina XV in 2015. Guido Randisi and Nicolás Mirande are arguably the next in line though it is equally as likely that players will be prefered from the youth system.

Second-rower Manuel Plaza was identified as a teenager and played for Argentina against Paraguay. With Lucas Ponce unavailable due to serious health problems either Plaza or Gerónimo Albertario is likely to be added as the fifth lock forward.

Utility forward Anibal Panceyra Garrido may also be considered though he is more likely to do so as a back-rower. Lisandro Ahualli de Chazal, Lucas Maguire and Gonzalo Paulín are additional back-rowers to have played for Argentine representative sides who could feature. Equally as possible of being called up is the 20 year old Vittori Rossi who played in the past three Junior World Championships.

Backs
Gonzalo Bertranou’s selection ahead of Marcos Bollini is of note after the latter had been regarded as being higher up the ladder. Bollini is the clear next in line with 19 year old Lautaro Bazán Vélez a good bet to join the set-up at some point down the line.

Fly half is not so simple. The departure of Patricio Fernández and Sebastián Poet to France means either Sevens star Bautista Ezcurra or Juan León Novillo could get a look in. Novillo played for Argentina against Uruguay and Paraguay in 2015. A further possibility is 19 year old Domingo Miotti who impressed at the 2015 Junior World Championship.

With Javier Rojas and Brian Ormson now in France the door could well open for one of Juan Cappiello or Juan Ignacio Brex. Despite both being aged just 23 they have valuable experience playing representative rugby for Argentine. In the case of Cappiello he is a Puma, having played three tests in 2013. Cappiello’s centers partner from the 2015 Nations Cup, Joaquín Paz is another strong option while Rodrigo Etchart, Fernando Luna and Segundo Tuculet and of the Pumas 7s side ought to also be considered.

Two-time Rugby World Cup utility outside back, Lucas González Amorosino is expected back from Munster though no agreement has yet been reached. One player certain to be added is Duendes wing / fullback Tomás Carrió who has played for his country at a variety of levels. He is set to join the camp on January 18. Other potential options for the back-three are Axel Müller, Germán Schultz and Román Miralles.