Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
New coach Mario Ledesma has named his Jaguares squad for the 2018 season and it is not without surprises. Absent from the squad are Pumas wingers Santiago Cordero and Manuel Montero, and flanker Rodrigo Báez. Cordero’s absence all but confirms a move to Leicester Tigers, with whom he has reportedly been in discussions, while Montero and Báez now seem certain to be targeted by big clubs in Europe.
Four props have already departed for Europe – Lucas Noguera Paz (Bath), Facundo Gigena (Leicester Tigers), Ramiro Herrera (Stade Français), and Cristian Bartoloni (Charente). Versatile front row Roberto Tejerizo has not been renewed, nor have second row pair Ignacio Larrague and Juan Cruz Guillemaín. Larrague is at least in the Argentina XV squad for the ARC along with Santiago Portillo, another member of last year’s wider training group not included this year.
A squad of 33 senior players has been named with eight members of the Argentina XV training with the squad for a week before preparing for the Americas Rugby Championship. With only six senior front row players named, some of those in the wider training group can be expected to see action at some point this season.
Former Pumas midfielder Gabriel Ascárate and Uruguay international Nicolás Freitas are out, the latter now free to participate in the entirety of the ARC. Meanwhile Olympic 7s representative Santiago Álvarez has been promoted from the wider training group to a senior contract for 2018.
Two players have been brought in from outside last year’s team. Pumas scrumhalf Tomás Cubelli returns to Argentina after a two-year stint with the Brumbies in Canberra. He is one of four scrumhalves named.
Felipe Ezcurra is a surprise inclusion after reportedly forfeiting his UAR contract to play for club side Hindú. It means his clubmate Sebastián Cancelliere, the other newcomer, is destined to play on the wing despite showing great promise as a scrumhalf with the Argentina XV.
Training for the new season will begin on January 4 with their season opener against the Stormers in Cape Town on February 17.
2018 JAGUARES SQUAD
| POS | NAME | CLUB | SR CAPS |
| LHP | Felipe Arregui | Duendes | 12 |
| LHP | Santiago García Botta | Belgrano | 28 |
| HO | Agustín Creevy | San Luis | 25 |
| HO | Julián Montoya | Newman | 22 |
| THP | Enrique Pieretto | Córdoba Athletic | 16 |
| THP | Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | La Plata | 15 |
| LO | Matías Alemanno | La Tablada | 20 |
| LO | Tomas Lavanini | Hindú | 15 |
| LO | Guido Petti | SIC | 27 |
| LO/FL | Marcos Kremer | Atlético del Rosario | 12 |
| FL | Juan Manuel Leguizamón | Santiago Lawn Tennis | 14 |
| FL | Tomás Lezana | Santiago Lawn Tennis | 16 |
| FL | Pablo Matera | Alumni | 22 |
| FL | Javier Ortega Desio | Estudientes de Paraná | 11 |
| N8 | Benjamín Macome | Tucumán RC | 6 |
| N8 | Leonardo Senatore | Gimnasia y Esgrima | 22 |
| SH | Gonzalo Bertranou | Los Tordos | 23 |
| SH | Tomás Cubelli | Belgrano | 18 |
| SH | Felipe Ezcurra | Hindú | 12 |
| SH | Martín Landajo | CASI | 19 |
| FH | Joaquín Díaz Bonilla | Hindú | 6 |
| FH | Juan Martín Hernández | Deportiva Francesa | 16 |
| FH | Nicolás Sánchez | Tucumán Lawn Tennis | 24 |
| CE | Santiago Álvarez | CASI | – |
| CE | Jerónimo de la Fuente | Duendes | 23 |
| CE | Santiago González Iglesias | Alumni | 19 |
| CE | Matías Orlando | Huirapuca | 25 |
| CE/WI | Bautista Ezcurra | Hindú | 12 |
| CE/WI | Matías Moroni | CUBA | 18 |
| WI | Sebastián Cancelliere | Hindú | – |
| WI | Ramiro Moyano | Lince | 15 |
| WI/FB | Emiliano Boffelli | Duendes | 17 |
| FB | Joaquín Tuculet | Los Tilos | 25 |
INVITATIONAL GROUP
| POS | NAME | CLUB | SR CAPS |
| LHP | Franco Brarda | Tala | – |
| LHP | Javier Díaz | Natación y Gimnasia | – |
| HO | Diego Fortuny | Uni Salta | – |
| THP | Nicolás Leiva | Hindú | – |
| THP | Juan Pablo Zeiss | Los Matreros | – |
| FL/N8 | Santiago Montagner | Alumni | – |
| N8 | Rodrigo Bruni | San Luis | – |
| FB | Bautista Delguy | Pucará | – |
