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Argentina are down a flanker as Tomás Lezana has failed to recover from injury. The Jaguares vice-captain was injured playing against New Zealand in Nelson on September 08. The severity of the injury means he will miss three rounds of the Rugby Championship.
Mario Ledesma’s Pumas travel from Buenos Aires to Salta today. They are to do so with uncapped Santiago Grondona in place of Tomás Lezana. Grondona featured for Argentina U20s in this year’s Junior World Championship.
Without Lezana the options for back-row are Grondona, Marcos Kremer, and Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Pablo Matera, and Javier Ortega Desio. Lezana started with Kremer and Ortega Desio in the match he was injured in.
Argentina’s four other Rugby Championship matches this year have been with Kremer, Matera, and Desio Ortega as the loose forward trio. In the absence of Lezana the replacement spot has gone to Leguizamón.
The 24-year-old Lezana is 11 years younger than Leguizamón. The 84-time capped Leguizamón is reportedly to retire from international activity at the completion of the year. He is three caps away from equalizing the all-time Pumas record of 87 caps. With four remaining test matches this year he could end the year with 88, surpassing World Rugby Hall of Famer Felipe Contepomi.
