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After a six year absence Gastón Cortés is returning to again be a Puma. The Tight Head prop will join Los Pumas in New Zealand on Tuesday, three days after playing for the Leicester Tigers against the Exeter Chiefs.
Cortés is the third ‘European’ to be selected by Mario Ledesma for the Rugby Championship. He follows Tight Head Juan Figallo (Saracens), and hooker Facundo Bosch (Agen) and another Tight Head – Ramiro Herrera (Stade Français) has also been sought.
Cortés joins Argentina’s roster to play in round three and four Rugby Championship. He does so with Figallo and Bosch back in England and France respectively. He has specifically been added for the matches in Nelson and the Gold Coast but not Argentina’s home matches in rounds five and six.
The 32-year-old has four caps for Argentina. They came against Chile and Uruguay, the last of which was in 2012. His call-up comes with Ledesma looking for experience and to boost the scrum. With Figallo starting Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro moved to Loose Head, such are the needs of the roster.
Cortés is accomplished at scrums and a solid player overall. He previously played over 100 games for Bristol Rugby between 2012 and 2018. He moved to England in 2012 to play for Bristol and made his debut for Leicester on Saturday. His career in England has seen more than 100 appearances.
