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Santiago Socino is to make his test debut against Australia. Although the official match line-up will not be named until Thursday it is already known that Socino will be either the starting or replacement hooker for Los Pumas against the Wallabies.
Socino is the one change to roster from that which faced New Zealand on Saturday. In the match Agustín Creevy was the starting hooker with Julián Montoya replacing him early in the second-half. The substitution was motivated by injury and Creevy was left out of the roster to face Australia.
Aged 27, Santiago Socino is the younger brother of Juan Pablo Socino. Now contracted to El Salvador in Spain’s División de Honor, Juan Pablo Socino earned for caps for Argentina in 2015 of which two were at the RWC where he started against Namibia, and played from the bench against South Africa.
Both Socino brothers had long stints playing abroad with the younger brother returning home in June to begin a Super Rugby contract with Los Jaguares. The deal saw Santiago Socino leaving the Newcastle Falcons who were relegated from the English Premiership to the second division this past season.
Santiago Socino would arrive in Argentina in time to play in the final regular season match where he made his Jaguares debut against the Sunwolves. Due to Super Rugby regulations he would be unable to be considered for the play-off’s.
His decision to return from Europe has paid-off in the highest possible means. With him becoming a Jaguar he has been selected over Facundo Bosch who made his test debut last year against South Africa when Montoya was out of action. Bosch signed to remain in France, moving from Agen to La Rochelle.
As was the case with Creevy, Santiago Socino converted from flanker to hooker ash an adult. The change has seen him developing as a player and rising through the ranks from lower divisions in England to the Premiership.
Santiago Socino is to not only follow in the footsteps of Juan Pablo Socino in becoming a Puma but he is to do so in the identical fixture. Juan Pablo Socino made his test debut against Australia in the 2015 Rugby Championship fixture.
The complete 30-man roster to prepare for Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against Australia is as follows:
ARGENTINA
FORWARDS
Matías Alemanno, 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, Santiago Socino, 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
