Santa Fé to host Los Pumas vs Italy

After an extensive process it is now official that Santa Fé is to host Los Pumas vs Italy on June 11, the UAR confirmed today. The Estadio Brigadier López del Club Atlético Colón will host the sanctioned test match.

The southern city of Comodoro Rivadavia had been allocated hosting right to the match for the UAR to have deemed it not ready to so so. Instead the Patagonian city will host a match during the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship.

Comodoro Rivadavia’s loss is Santa Fé’s gain, and a notable one. The city has been seeking a home Los Pumas test match in recent years. It was last used by the UAR for a Rugby Championship warm-up fixture in 2012 against French Top 14 side, Stade Français.

Prior to 2012 the Estadio Brigadier López del Club Atlético Colón played host to a June international in 2007, a match in which Felipe Contepomi secured a late victory over Ireland with a long range drop-goal.

Nine years on and the situation is to be vastly different. In 2007 Los Pumas Head Coach Marcelo Loffreda was without players involved in the Top 14 play-offs, a situation which forced him to field a depleted side for two home tests against Ireland and one against Italy.

Now, in 2016, the current coach Daniel Hourcade will not be selecting players based in Europe. Instead those involved in Super Rugby are to be playing in the June internationals. Hourcade will call-upon Tomás Cubelli from the Brumbies in addition to those featuring for Los Jaguares, giving Los Pumas a fully-professional roster for the first time ever.

In addition to hosting Italy in Santa Fé in June Los Pumas are to play two home internationals against France. The test matches will be played in the northern city of Tucumán on Sunday June 19 and Saturday June 25.

France is to be depleted due to the role coinciding with the Top 14 play-offs. As such a French side is set to tour missing players contracted to France’s six leading clubs in the 2015-2016 season.