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The second match of the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship will also be played at a new venue. Neuquén Rugby Club will be the location of the match between the hosting Argentina XV and their visitors Brazil. It’s a match-up that has been traditionally one-sided but the gap was officially closed – at least temporarily – in 2018 when the Tupis claimed their first ever win over an Argentine senior XVs side in the South American Championship.
Rugby is a sport very much on the rise in Brazil and their historic contest against the Māori in November was observed by fans all over the world. The core of the team has now been together under coach Rodolfo Ambrosio for the past four years and the Tupis continue to push towards Tier 2 status having also beaten Canada, the USA, and a Georgia XV in Tbilisi over the past two years.
Ambrosio has made four changes to the side that played at Morumbi, three in the forwards. Regular captain Yan Rosetti remains sidelined and with Wilton Rebolo also unavailable it’s third-choice hooker Endy Willian who starts. Veteran lock Lucas Piero is recalled with Cléber Dias moving to the flank. Michael Moraes takes the place of André Arruda in the back row but it’s Arthur Bergo who wears the No8 shirt.
The only change to the backline is on the wing where De Wet van Niekerk swaps jerseys with Robert Tenório. Walter Schildberg is set to make his Tupis debut as a hooker replacement, though caps will not be awarded, and is the only uncapped player in the match day squad. There are two heavyweight prop reserves named with Pedro Bengaló called up alongside Caíque Silva.
Captaining the side in the absence of Rosetti is Felipe Sancery. He and brother Daniel, both formerly of Albi in France, will be key figures if Brazil hope to win. Others will be the two professionals based abroad – second row Luiz Vieira from Tyrosse and Utah Warriors flyhalf Josh Reeves.
Continuity has been identified as a key factor in the Argentina XV failing to win ARC titles in the past two years. In fact 2018 was undoubtedly their worst year to date. Former Pumas lock Ignacio Fernández Lobbe has taken over the lead coaching role and he has named his strongest available side to start the tournament on a winning note.
Three forwards join the squad after being released from training with the Jaguares in recent weeks. Alumni hooker Gaspar Baldunciel, second row Franco Molina, and No8 Nicolás Sbrocco can be expected to make an impact. The latter is in the middle of a high quality loose forward trio along with skipper Lautaro Bavaro and Belgrano captain Francisco Gorrissen.
Pumas cap Felipe Ezcurra has two seasons of Super Rugby experience behind him and recently returned from a short stint with Leicester Tigers. He will distribute to a youthful backline full of Jaguares prospects. Outside center Agustín Segura and fullback Santiago Carreras are just 20, while 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Rookie of the Year Matías Osadczuk is 21 and tipped by many as a future XV-a-side international.
For Brazil the task is simple. They must prove the match in Buenos Aires last May was no fluke. The days where a 40-point blowout were expected are now over. While another win is not necessarily required to claim progress, a competitive match most certainly is. Last year’s ARC result saw the Argentines winning by 20 with a less experienced side and physically smaller forwards.
On the other side Fernández Lobbe will consider anything less than a convincing win unacceptable. With Argentina’s likely involvement in the South African provincial competition and the new South American professional league on the way, there is much at stake for this group of players.
Despite the previous result, expecting another win from Brazil is likely too much. The Tupis dropped back-to-back matches against provincial sides Tucumán and Salta in November and this is a strong Argentine selection. Look for the match to stay close, possibly within one score, until the final quarter when the superior fitness and speed of the home side takes its toll.
Kickoff is set for 5:15pm local time, 12:15pm Pacific, 3:15pm Eastern. Live broadcasts will be available on ESPN in South America, FloRugby in the USA, and online at TSN.ca in Canada. Those located elsewhere can watch on the World Rugby website.
ARGENTINA XV
1 Nicolás Solveyra, 2 Gaspar Baldunciel, 3 Lucas Favre, 4 Jerónimo Ureta, 5 Franco Molina, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 7 Lautaro Bavaro (capt.), 8 Nicolás Sbrocco, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 10 Martín Elías, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Lucas Mensa, 13 Agustín Segura, 14 Matías Osadczuk, 15 Santiago Carreras
Replacements: 16 Axel Zapata, 17 Javier Corvalán, 18 Martín Fernández Segurotti, 19 Santiago Portillo, 20 Benito Ortíz de Rosas, 21 Gregorio del Prete, 22 Martín Roger, 23 Facundo Cordero
BRAZIL
1 Lucas Abud, 2 Endy Willian, 3 Jardel Vettorato, 4 Lucas Piero, 5 Luiz Vieira, 6 Michael Moraes, 7 Cléber Dias, 8 Arthur Bergo, 9 Lucas Duque, 10 Josh Reeves, 11 De Wet van Niekerk, 12 Moisés Duque, 13 Felipe Sancery (capt.), 14 Lucas Tranquez, 15 Daniel Sancery
Replacements: 16 Walter Schildberg, 17 Caíque Silva, 18 Pedro Bengaló, 19 Gabriel Paganini, 20 André Arruda, 21 Douglas Rauth, 22 Stefano Giantorno, 23 Robert Tenório
Date: Saturday, February 2
Venue: Neuquén RC, Neuquén
Kickoff: 17:15 local (12:15 Pacific, 15:15 Eastern)
Referee: Joaquín Montes (URU)
Broadcasts: ESPN 2 (Brazil), ESPN 3 (South America), FloRugby (USA), TSN.ca (Canada), World Rugby
