The time of Manuel Carizza at Racing 92 has concluded. The Rosario second-row departs the French Top 14 club Racing 92 with immediate effect.
He and teammate prop Luc Ducalcon are no longer Racing 92 players, the latter retiring while Carizza considers his options. This comes a day after Juan Imhoff extended his time at the club until 2022.
Carizza arrived at Racing 92 in 2015 in his second stint with the club. His prior time was in the 2012-2013 season, joining from Biarritz. The Basque club had been Carizza’s home from 2005-2012.
His move to Biarritz was from Argentina. During his time he won the 2006 Top 14 Final and appeared in the 2006 and 2010 Champions Cup Finals. Following his initial time with Racing 92 he moved to Cape Town, South Africa to play for the Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. He would also win a title, becoming a Currie Cup champion in 2012.
His return to Racing 92 in 2015 saw him winning the Top 14 Final in Barcelona and also appearing in the Champions Cup Final.
Capped 46 times by Argentina, Carizza was a mainstay in the side under Santiago Phelan. He also played under both Marcelo Loffreda and Daniel Hourcade but it was during the Phelan regime that he was a constant.
Carizza debuted for Los Pumas in 2004. His first appearance came off the bench against South Africa. He would go on to play in a Rugby World Cup, starting against England, Romania, Scotland and New Zealand in 2011.
He was a surprise exclusion from the roster for the 2015 campaign. Hourcade gave Carizza starts against both New Zealand and Australia in the 2015 Rugby Championship but looked to home-based players instead. Going to the World Cup were Matías Alemanno, Tomás Lavanini, Guido Petti and Mariano Galarza.