Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Los Jaguares Head Coach Gonzalo Quesada praised Argentine players in Europe. On Argentina Scrum the man in charge of the Argentine Super Rugby franchise responded to a question asking for which player from Europe he would incorporate into Los Pumas?
The answer given was not direct. Instead he responded by saying that there are many players who are performing at a high level at this point in time. In total he gave ten names and listed them across six different positions.
In 2018 Mario Ledesma ended the policy of not selecting from abroad. Under Daniel Hourcade from June 2016 to June 2018 the only non-Jaguares involved were either playing in Super Rugby (Tomás Cubelli) or were medical jokers in Europe (Juan Pablo Estelles, Felipe Arregui) who were to return to Argentina.
Ledesma selected five players from Europe, four of them played in the Rugby Championship – Juan Figallo (Saracens), Facundo Bosch (Agen), Gastón Córtes (Leicester), and Ramiro Herrera (Stade Français). None of them would play in the November Internationals with Mariano Galarza (Bordeaux) being called-up as the one player not based in Argentina.
Quesada praised the European players but was careful in responding to the question. In giving his breakdown of which names he feels are up to the standard he noted that unless there was urgency within the roster he would not select any.
He noted that at prop it is clear that for him Ramiro Figallo and Juan Figallo are playing very well. Not named was Francisco Goméz Kodela (Lyon), arguably the most notable player of all that Quesada did not mention.
Elsewhere in the forwards he added two hookers – Santiago Socino (Newcastle, uncapped), and Facundo Bosch (Agen) as well as second-rower Mariano Galarza, and no 8 Facundo Isa (Toulon).
In terms of the backs there were four names given. Missing was Marcelo Bosch (Saracens), Argentina’s finest outside center of the professional era. His non-naming is expected though with him rumored to be set to retire at the end of the 2018-2019 season.
Quesada named Santiago Cordero (Exeter Chiefs), and Juan Imhoff (Racing 92) as the players who are standing out at the moment. He added that unfortunately for them the players that are in Argentina are in great form too. He furthered this in saying that unless there is an emergency preference will be given to those at Los Jaguares.
The final two names are fly halves – Benjamín Urdapilleta (Castres), and Patricio Fernández (Clermont). He pointed out that with Urdapilleta at fly half Oyonnax were another team altogether. He also praised the form of Urdapilleta at Castres.
Not listed was Nicolás Sánchez. The former Jaguar made his Stade Français debut this past weekend against the Ospreys. He stood out in scoring all of his team’s points in their 12-3 Challenge Cup victory. Sánchez, Urdapilleta, and Fernández are now all in France and all pressing for places in RWC 2019.
