photo credit: Rodrigo Vergara / UAR

Montoya, Ortega Desio Reach 50 Caps for Argentina

Forwards Julián Montoya and Javier Ortega Desio will reach 50 caps for Argentina on Saturday. They are to do so against France with Ortega Desio starting the match at no 8 and Montoya playing as the replacement hooker. They will be the 34th and 35th Pumas to reach the mark respectively.

They quickly follow teammates Matías Alemanno and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro who reached 50 tests against Australia last month. Alemanno is now up to 52 caps while Tetaz Chaparro is to be tied by Montoya and Ortega Desio in addition to Mauricio Reggiardo and Leonardo Senatore.

Montoya and Desio Ortega both played in RWC 2015 in support roles. Montoya was the understudy toAgustín Creevy while Desio Ortega covered Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe. With Mariano Galarza being suspended the flanker also covered lock, doing so from the bench against Georgia.

The pair are now well on track to play in Japan 2019. The inclusion of both on the roster is a formality. Both will likely go into the RWC with around 54 test caps.

The highest capped active player is Creevy. The former captain is now the 6th most capped Puma in history. He will join Head Coach Mario Ledesma with 84 caps should he also face Scotland next weekend.

Above Ledesma are four players – Juan Manuel Leguizamón (85), Rolando Martín (85), Lisandro Arbizu (86) and Felipe Contepomi (87).

Hugo Porta was the first Argentine player to reach 50 caps. Having made his debut against Chile in Montevideo on October 10 1971, he reached the milestone on September 17 1985. His 50th test came against Uruguay in Asunción, Paraguay. It took the legendary Porta a staggering 14 years to reach his half-century.

The following table lists the players already including Saturday’s match. It assumes that Montoya will receive game time as a replacement.

# PLAYER POS YEARS CAPS
1 Felipe Contepomi FH 1998-2013 87
2 Lisandro Arbizu CE/FH 1990-2005 86
3 Rolando Martín FL 1994-2003 86
4 Juan Manuel Leguizamón FL/N8 2005-2018 85
5 Mario Ledesma HK 1996-2011 84
6 Agustín Creevy HK 2005- 83
7 Martín Landajo SH 2008- 83
8 Pedro Sporleder LO 1990-2003 78
9 Juan Martín Hernández FH 2002-2017 74
10 Federico Mendez HK/LH 1990-2004 73
11 Nicolás Sánchez FH 2010- 73
12 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe FL/N8 2004-2015 71
13 Agustín Pichot SH 1995-2007 71
14 Tomás Cubelli SH 2010- 68
15 Marcos Ayerza LH 2004- 66
16 Ignacio Fernández Lobbe LO 1996-2008 65
17 Omar Hasan PR 1995-2007 65
18 Horacio Agulla WI 2005-2015 63
19 Diego Cuesta Silva WI/CE 1983-1995 63
20 Martín Durand FL 1997-2008 60
21 Martín Scelzo PR 1996-2011 59
22 Hugo Porta FH 1971-1990 58
23 Patricio Albacete LO 2003-2013 57
24 Diego Albanese WI 1995-2003 55
25 Pablo Matera FL 2013- 57
25 Rodrigo Roncero LH 1998-2012 55
27 Lucas González Amorosino WI/FB 2007-2016 52
28 Gonzalo Longo N8 1999-2007 51
29 Joaquín Tuculet FB 2012- 51
30 Mauricio Reggiardo TH 1996-2003 50
31 Leonardo Senatore N 8 2008- 50
32 Matías Alemanno LO 2014- 52
33 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro LH/TH 2010- 50
34 Javier Ortega Desio FL/N8 2012- 50
35 Julián Montoya HK 2014- 50

 

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