Team of the Week

For the first time it’s an all-Argentine selection in our Team of the Week. With PRO Rugby over and the Uruguay XV serving up a dud, we’ve looked to the URBA Top 14 for all but one of this week’s side, and all come from clubs playing in Argentina.

1 – Francisco Ferronato (Belgrano) Stocky prop was excellent in the tight-loose. Got on the scoreboard with a try from a driving maul and smashed his Paraná opposite to win a penalty try from the scrum in the second half.

2 – Gaspar Baldunciel (Alumni) Good game from the Pumitas hooker who continues to look like a future Pumas player. Work rate around the pitch is exceptional for a front row.

3 – Lucas Martínez (Lomas) The only player outside of the URBA Top 14 selected. Back at his home country after a season in France with Castres, he looked a class apart in the scrum.

4 – Marcos Borghi (SIC) Hard-working second row was rewarded with a try from a driving maul in the first half. Did the dirty work up front to give his backs plenty of ball in space.

5 – Leandro Magneres (Belgrano) Good line saw him barrel over from 15 metres out for a try in the first half. Veteran lock was part of a dominant forward back in the win over Paraná.

6 – Lucas Maguire (CUBA) In a strong win over La Plata it was the Pumas 7s and Argentina XV representative who stood out. One try and a constant presence at the tackle.

7 – Tobías Moyano (Alumni) A little whippet of a loose forward and inspirational captain of Alumni. Scored two tries in the big win over Moreno to keep the side in the quarter-final hunt.

8 – Alan Kessen (SIC) Now capped for Germany after captaining Argentina at u20 level. Good support landed him a try early in the second half and ran hard all game as San Isidro steamrolled Los Tilos.

9 – Santiago Mendez (SIC) Got a bit of an arm-chair ride from his forwards but moved the ball quickly and accurately so the glory boys out wide could do their job. Contributed three conversions and a penalty goal himself with the boot.

10 – Joaquín Díaz Bonilla (Hindú) Second straight selection to the team, this time at his preferred flyhalf position. Two penalties and one conversion but it was his distribution that Hindú in place to win and keep them in the race for top spot behind Belgrano.

11 – Gonzalo Gutiérrez Taboada (Newman) Started at fullback but his 15-point performance demanded his inclusion somewhere. The Argentina XV standout is a top player for the mid-table side.

12 – Martín Rodríguez (Atlético de Rosario) Wonderful match for the former Pumas star who scored an incredible 30 points against Newman. Seven penalty goals, two conversions, and a try make him an easy choice in this week’s selection.

13 – Julio Casalis (Moreno) Kept his team in the match with 10 points in the first half including a try to keep things level after 40, but one man can only do so much. Could only watch as Alumni overwhelmed his team with a 26-point second half.

14 – Francisco Bosch (Hindú) Two tries for the former Puma, with his second pulling Hindú out of the fire at the last moment to steal a win from CASI. At 33 still a quality player at this level.

15 – Máximo Provenzano (Alumni) One try and 16 points in all for the classy footballer. Helped Alumni dominate Moreno despite playing half the match with only 14 players.