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English Premiership clubs are chasing the signature of Jaguares for the upcoming season. The 2019-2020 season will begin on October 18, one day before the Quarter Finals begin at RWC 2019 in Japan.
Players off contract with the UAR are being approached by English Premiership clubs with fly half Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, and tight head prop Enrique Pieretto reportedly being open to moves to play in the UK after the World Cup.
Díaz Bonilla was the player with the most starts at fly half in the 2019 Super Rugby season for Los Jaguars. He would start in the Quarter Final, Semi Final, and Final with Domingo Miotti being his understudy.
Díaz Bonilla’s season saw him scoring 119 points with 23 penalties, and 25 conversions at an accuracy of 75%. He has featured for Argentina from the bench in both Rugby Championship matches thus far in 2019, doing so behind Nicolás Sánchez.
Both Díaz Bonilla, and Sánchez are aged 30. They are joined by Benjamín Urdapilleta (33), and Miotti (23) on the preliminary roster for RWC 2019. Miotti is uncapped but is positioned to be a central figure in the next RWC cycle.
Prior to 2019 Díaz Bonilla was a Jaguar but struggled to get game time. The departure of Sánchez to Stade Français and the retirement of Juan Martín Hernández in 2018 opened the way for him to move above Santiago González Iglesias (31) this year.
With 23 test caps Pieretto has 20 more than that of Díaz Bonilla. The 24-year-old may join fellow Argentine props Gastón Córtes (Leicester Tigers), Juan Figallo (Saracens), Santiago García Botta (Harlequins), Facundo Gigena (Leicester Tigers), and Lucas Noguera Paz (Bath) in the English Premiership.
Pieretto was second choice to Santiago Medrano in the Super Rugby Final. He joined Lucio Sordoni in covering for Medrano during the 2019 season. For Los Pumas Pieretto, Medrano, and Ramiro Herrera are on the roster behind the first choice Juan Figallo.
On his way to Los Jaguares for the 2020 campaign is Joel Sclavi. The 25-year-old will do so at the end of 2019, joining the side from Top 14 club Agen. His move to Super Rugby may yet be as a direct replacement for Pieretto.
Confirmed 2019 departures from Los Jaguares to English Premiership clubs are scrum half Martín Landajo; loose head prop Santiago García Botta; and second-rower Tomás Lavanini. Meanwhile former Jaguares winger and current Puma Santiago Cordero has completed a move from English Premiership side Exeter to the Top 14 to play for Bordeaux.
