Team of the Week

It’s an all-Argentine selection this week. The Jaguares ended their season in defeat but there were a few players to stood out. Elsewhere the URBA Top 12 was in full flight with numerous internationals involved and plenty of high-flying action to run the rule over.

1 – Francisco Ferronato (Belgrano) Remains one of the best looseheads in Argentina. Strong in the loose and completely dominant at scrum time. The Belgrano front row destroyed San Martín to the effect of four tries, two pushovers and two penalties.

2 – Agustín Gómez di Nardo (Belgrano) Along with Ferronato the spearhead of the Belgrano scrum. Squashed his opposites while putting in an 80-minute shift around the park.

3 – Mateo Trimarco (Regatas) One for the big men out there. Like Belgrano, the Regatas set piece obliterated CUBA, also yielding four tries. Theirs came from two apiece at the scrum and lineout drive. Trimarco was at the front of all of it using his massive frame to steam ahead.

4 – Matías Alemanno (Jaguares) Not the greatest day for the Jaguares but they did not capitulate. Alemanno had several carries to bend the gainline and was accurate in defense.

5 – Ignacio Larrague (CASI) A giant-sized presence in the engine room as his team put Lomas to the sword. Prominent in the set piece and also showed some subtle handling with a couple nice offloads, one sparking a superb team try.

6 – Eugenio Sartori (CASI) Man-of-the-match against Lomas with an all-action performance. The youngster crashed through the line on several occasions and earned himself two tries. Also a notable presence in defense.

7 – Franco Gnecco (San Luis) Scored two tries himself and played a direct role in another as San Luis defeated SIC in a close match. Dynamic in attack, working tirelessly to support the ball carriers when it wasn’t himself.

8 – Francisco Gorrissen (Belgrano) Playing at the back of the scrum this season instead of his traditional flank position. He did not look out of place against San Martín, controlling the ball perfectly to touch down twice on pushover scores. While his tries were routine, his work across the pitch was exemplary.

9 – Felipe Ezcurra (Hindú) A disappointing result saw his team fall a converted try short of Alumni. Ezcurra was a strong presence throughout nonetheless, scoring a first half try to give his team the lead, though it would not hold.

10 – Gonzalo Gutiérrez Taboada (Newman) Steered his team to a crushing nine-try demolition of Pucará. The classy scored two touchdowns himself and kicked eight conversions for a personal haul of 26 points.

11 – Luca Sábato (Alumni) While his brother Franco is preparing to make his mark in San Francisco with Los Pumas, Luca was the danger man on the wing against Hindú. He finished off two tries to combine with the boot of Joaquín Díaz Luzzi for the sum of Alumni’s points.

12 – Bautista Ezcurra (Jaguares) Could have been stronger in defense but played well going forward, using his footwork to gain ground and stay on the front foot. His distribution is also useful in the midfield but he may look to add some muscle in the off-season to help in the contact area.

13 – Joaquín Paz (Pucará) His team was on the wrong end of a hiding but the three-test Puma showed his class, proving a threat with every carry. Scored one try and created another with a slick offload from the deck. Back from a two-year stint in Italy with Calvisano, will he also return to international consideration?

14 – Ramiro Moyano (Jaguares) Played at fullback but with a trio of candidates we’ve moved him to the wing, where he played last week. The standout player for Los Jaguares against the Sharks, countering superbly and beating a handful of defenders.

15 – Juan Bautista Daireaux (Newman) On another week Gastón Arias might have been rewarded for his two-try effort for SIC, but Daireaux was a class apart for Newman. The Pumitas flyhalf was just as impressive at fullback, grabbing a hat-trick including an effortless chip-and-regather that made his opposites look stationary. Looks a certain test player in the future.