Aviva Premiership – Week 18 Preview

The Aviva Premiership returns this weekend. Week 18 of the English national league sees a full round of six matches. Involved are to be test match players from Argentina, Canada and the USA. Two of the three have qualified for RWC 2019 with the remaining one still in with a shot of doing so this coming November.

The one Friday fixture this weekend see Bath at home to the Exeter Chiefs. The reigning champions have named Santiago Cordero on the bench. The Argentine flyer is contracted to the club until the end of the season. His future involvement for Argentina remains undetermined.

Cordero’s RWC 2015 teammate, Mariano Galarza, will play on Saturday. He starts in the second row for Gloucester who are on the road against London Irish. It is a prime opportunity for the club to gain valuable competition points.

The Sale Sharks welcome back AJ MacGinty this weekend. The USA Eagles flyhalf is back from injury and will start against Worcester Warriors. Also involved is Marland Yarde, a player from St. Lucia.

Four players from the Americas are to be involved for Saracens. The club battles it out against the Harlequins in a special London derby. RWC 2011 and 2015 Pumas Marcelo Bosch and Juan Figallo both start, doing so at outside center and Tight Head prop respectively. Covering as replacements this weekend are Eagles players Chris Wyles and Titi Lamositele.

Both the Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints are to lose Americas players at the end of the season. Juan Pablo Socino, and Juan Pablo Estelles will do so in June while DTH van der Merwe and Belisario Agulla have already left the Falcons. This weekend sees Canadian international Evan Olmstead starting at flanker for Newcastle.

About Americas Rugby News

Formally created in June 2015, this website's goal is to increase media exposure of the Tier 2 rugby nations, and create a hub with a focus on the stories of rugby in the Americas - North, Central and South.

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