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Los Jaguares have lost prop Javier Díaz to a knee injury. Having started at loosehead against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, Díaz has been ruled out of playing in the Super Rugby Quarter Final this coming weekend against the Lions in Johannesburg.
Díaz left the match at Kings Park in the 50th minute. He was replaced by Santiago García Botta, the regular starting loosened for Los Jaguares in 2018. Mario Ledesma made 10 changes for the Sharks, a move to rest players ahead of the play-off’s.
Díaz’ injury picked up in the match is likely to rule him out for an extended period. The diagnosis from the team medics is that he ruptured ligaments in his right knee. The injury has seen the Tucumán prop flying home from South Africa.
It is the second serious injury a Jaguares prop has suffered this year. Ruled out for the season before playing a match was tighthead Enrique Pieretto.
Ledesma has used Tetaz Chaparro and Garcia Botta heavily this season. It has been motivated by a shortage on both sides of the front-row. Regulars Lucas Noguera Paz and Ramiro Herrera both left Los Jaguares for Europe in late 2017.
For Los Pumas the options resulted in Daniel Hourcade handing Javier Díaz and Santiago Medrano their test debuts last month. He was, however, going to select European-Based players for the June Internationals only for the UAR to change their mind at the eleventh hour.
Prior to the late change Hourcade was to select Juan Figallo and Francisco Gómez Kodela to face Wales and Scotland.
The new Argentina Head Coach remains unconfirmed though Mario Ledesma is widely expected to be confirmed for the role. The make-up of the roster is highly likely to be largely based on Los Jaguares with a select number of European-Based players back in the mix.
