Pumas Confirm Foreign-Based Players to face New Zealand

Los Pumas Head Coach Mario Ledesma has confirmed Foreign-Based players to face New Zealand. Argentina play host to the All Blacks on Saturday, June 20 in the opening round of the 2019 Rugby Championship.

The roster includes five of the six European-Based players named by Ledesma in the expanded preliminary RWC 2019 roster. Missing is Benjamín Urdapilleta who was injured in training earlier this week and will officially not play against either New Zealand, or Australia.

Back for the first time since departing Los Jaguares for France in early 2017 is Facundo Isa. The 25-year-old joins Javier Ortega Desio as the N8 options and Marcos Kremer, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Tomás Lezana, and Pablo Matera as the overall back-row options.

Juan Figallo returned for Argentina against South Africa in 2018 with distinction. With him the scrum was formidable, while without him it was vastly different. Also involved in 2018 was Ramiro Herrera who like Figallo is s tight head prop. They join Jaguar Santiago Medrano as the specialists in the position.

Similar to Isa, Santiago Cordero has not been capped since departing Los Jaguares for Europe. Having been a star in the English Premiership Ledesma opted for him over Juan Imhoff to bolster the wing options for the Rugby Championship. Cordero joins Sebastián Cancelliere, Manuel Montero, and Ramiro Moyano as the specialist wingers.

The final European-Based player named is Nicolás Sánchez. He was a constant for Los Pumas before moving to France in December. He is one of two fly halves named for the match against New Zealand. The other is Joaquín Díaz Bonilla who was the starting fly half for the majority of the Super Rugby campaign.

Named despite missing the vast majority of the Super Rugby season is Matías Alemanno. He joins Tomás Lavanini, and Guido Petti as the specialist second-rowers with the uncapped Lucas Paulos left out.

Also included are center Lucas Mensa, and winger Manuel Montero. Neither player featured in Super Rugby this year with the former having no prior experience in a Jaguares shirt and also being uncapped. This marks the first inclusion of Mensa in a Pumas roster.

The remaining notable name on the roster is Joaquín Tuculet. The former starting fullback fell out of favor for Los Jaguares in 2019 with the spot being taken by Emiliano Boffelli.

 

ARGENTINA

FORWARDS
Matías Alemanno, Agustín Creevy, Juan Figallo, Ramiro Herrera, Facundo Isa, Marcos Kremer, Tomás Lavanini, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Tomás Lezana, Pablo Matera, Santiago Medrano, Julián Montoya, Javier Ortega Desio, Guido Petti, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Mayco Vivas

BACKS
Emiliano Boffelli, Sebastián Cancelliere, Santiago Cordero, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Felipe Ezcurra, Lucas Mensa, Manuel Montero, Matías Moroni, Ramiro Moyano, Matías Orlando, Nicolás Sánchez, Joaquín Tuculet