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Uruguay have called in some of their big guns for their first home match of the Americas Rugby Championship on Saturday. World Cup skipper Juan Manuel Gaminara has recovered from injury to lead the side that shows five changes to the team that was overrun by the Argentina XV in Bahía Blanca.
Gaminara is one of four World Cup starters back in the side this week, three of whom will be making their first international appearances of 2017. Mario Sagario bolsters the front row with his 57 caps worth of experience at tighthead prop, while Andrés Vilaseca replaces Juan de Freitas in the midfield. Leandro Leivas returns on the right wing after missing last weekend’s match.
The only other change to the run-on side sees the tallest man in the side, Diego Ayala, restored in the second row in place of Diego Magno. Uncapped 20-year-old lock Lorenzo Surraco is named as a reserve, where there are returns for Juan Diego Ormaechea and Gastón Gibernau. A sixth forward has been included on the bench in the form of no8 Manuel Diana, who will wear the no23 jersey.
URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Martín Espiga, 3 Mario Sagario, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Diego Ayala, 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (capt.), 7 Gonzalo Soto, 8 Alejandro Nieto, 9 Santiago Arata, 10 Germán Albanell, 11 Nicolás Freitas, 12 Andrés Vilaseca, 13 Juan Manuel Cat, 14 Leandro Leivas, 15 Rodrigo Silva
Replacements: 16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Matías Benítez, 18 Juan Echeverría, 19 Lorenzo Surraco, 20 Juan Diego Ormaechea, 21 Guillermo Lijtenstein, 22 Gastón Gibernau, 23 Manuel Diana
