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Argentina’s concerns at prop have taken another significant hit with the news that Facundo Gigena has signed for Leicester Tigers. The 23-year-old loosehead from the Tala club in Córdoba will join the Aviva Premiership side in January on a deal that will take him through the end of the 2018-19 season.
Gigena has been on the radar for Argentina since representing the Pumitas at two World Rugby u20 Championships. He graduated to the Argentina XV in the 2016 Americas Rugby Championship and was subsequently called up to the Jaguares for their inaugural Super Rugby season, appearing in five games as a replacement.
Injury slowed his progress early in 2017 as he missed the Super Rugby season entirely and made only one appearance in the ARC. Gigena then received a boost as he was selected to play for the World XV against Japan in November despite having yet to win his first cap for Argentina. He will now have to wait for that international debut as under current UAR regulations he is ineligible to play for the Pumas until the 2019 World Cup warm-ups.
The news comes at a bad time for both the Jaguares and Argentina. Having already lost tighthead Ramiro Herrera to France, regular loosehead Lucas Noguera Paz departed for Bath just two weeks ago. Gigena was a primary candidate to understudy Santiago García Botta for the Jaguares, but new head coach Mario Ledesma will now have to explore other options. Among those in consideration are Felipe Arregui, Roberto Tejerizo, and uncapped trio Francisco Ferronato, Franco Brarda, and Nicolás Solveyra.
Leicester fans, meanwhile, will be pleased to add the 120kg (265lbs) Gigena to their front row stables. With England loosehead Ellis Genge out for several weeks after shoulder injury and Greg Bateman also sidelined, the young Argentine adds to their options and fills a void left by the retirement of the great Marcos Ayerza earlier this year. Already on Leicester’s books is another prop from the Americas – US Eagles tighthead Chris Baumann.
