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Uruguay has made wholesale changes to their team to face Emerging Italy in Bucharest on Thursday. Only four players are retained in the starting lineup, with several youngsters given a chance to impress in the first round of the World Rugby Nations Cup.
Experience returns to the front row in the form of first choice props Mateo Sanguinetti and Mario Sagario, with Facundo Gattas moving to hooker. Diego Ayala and Ignacio Dotti are the new-look second row, pushing Franco Lamanna to no8. Matías Beer is recalled on the flank in place of Gonzalo Campomar. The new configuration gives Los Teros one of their tallest forward packs in recent years with Ayala, Dotti, and Beer all 1.94m (6’4″) or taller.
Santiago Arata and Santiago Martinez are paired in an experimental halfback partnership, with more youth in the midfield where Facundo Klappenbach partners Pedro Deal. Andres Rocco will have veterans Leandro Leivas and Federico Favaro alongside in the back three.
The match kicks off at 6pm local time (11am ET) and will be streamed live on RugbyTV.
URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti 2 Facundo Gattas 3 Mario Sagario 4 Diego Ayala 5 Ignacio Dotti 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (capt.) 7 Matías Beer 8 Franco Lamanna 9 Santiago Arata 10 Santiago Martínez 11 Andrés Rocco 12 Facundo Klappenbach 13 Pedro Deal 14 Leandro Leivas 15 Federico Favaro
16 Germán Kessler 17 Juan Echeverría 18 Ignacio Secco 19 Diego Magno 20 Alejandro Nieto 21 Martín Secco 22 Guillermo Lijtenstein 23 Nicolás Freitas
