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Uruguay’s 31-man roster for Rugby World Cup 2019 has been named. All 31 of the players selected for Rugby World Cup 2019 were born and raised in Uruguay.
Included are 15 players who play their rugby abroad. That is 11 more than was the case for RWC 2015 four years ago. For that World Cup Uruguay’s professional contingent consisted of tight head Mario Sagario (Massy, FRA); scrum half Agustín Ormaechea (Mont de Marsan, FRA; fly half Felipe Berchesi (Carcassonne, FRA); and fullback Gastón Mieres (Valpoilicella, ITA).
Three of the four are to play in RWC 2019 with Ormaechea and Berchesi continuing to play in France while Mieres now plays Major League Rugby (MLR) for the Toronto Arrows.
Uruguay’s additional players attached to foreign professional clubs are props Juan Echeverría, Mateo Sanguinetti; second-rowers Ignacio Dotti, Franco Lamanna, Manuel Leindekar, and Diego Magno; back-rowers Manuel Diana, and Alejandro Nieto in the forwards.
They are joined by scrum halves Santiago Arata and Agustín Ormaechea; fly half Felipe Berchesi; center Andrés Vilaseca; winger Leandro Leivas; and fullbacks Gastón Mieres, and Rodrigo Silva in the backs.
Facundo Gattas also plays outside of Uruguay though for Hindú in Argentina’s URBA Top 12. As such Uruguay will have a majority of its players from foreign clubs for the first time in RWC history. This is the case despite the notable non-inclusion of Rodrigo Capó Ortega (Castres, FRA) who pulled out due to not having been fully fit for the pre-season.
Leading Uruguay will be Juan Manuel Gaminara. He has been captain of the team for the duration of the RWC cycle. The fierce tackling stocky flanker is a domestic based player who plays for Montevideo club Old Boys.
In naming Uruguay’s World Cup roster Head Coach Esteban Meneses cut three players from the 34-man preliminary squad. The players to miss out were second-rower Gonzalo Soto Mera; flanker Leandro Segredo; and winger Ignacio García.
The non-selection of Soto Mera comes with Meneses opting to move Franco Lamanna from his usual position of flanker to that of the second-row. Similar motives explain the inclusion of Tomás Inciarte and Felipe Etcheverry. Both are hybrid backs covering multiple positions.
Leandro Segredo is the most notable exclusion. He impressed in both he Americas Rugby Championship, and Nations Cup earlier this year. Yet with just five men selected as back-rowers he is the casualty.
All 31 of Uruguay’s players selected for Rugby World Cup 2019 were born and raised in Uruguay.
Los Teros will compete in Pool D of the tournament in Japan, doing so against Australia, Fiji, Georgia, and Wales. They are to open their campaign on September 25 against Fiji in Kamaishi.
For complete details of Uruguay’s 31-man roster click here.
URUGUAY WORLD CUP ROSTER
FORWARDS: Germán Kessler (Los Cuervos), Guillermo Pujardas (Champagnat), Diego Arbelo (MVCC), Juan Echeverría (Austin Elite, USA), Facundo Gattas (Hindú, ARG), Joaquín Jaunsolo (Los Cuervos), Juan Pedro Rombys (Trébol de Paysandú), Mateo Sanguinetti (Houston SaberCats, USA), Ignacio Dotti (NOLA Gold, USA), Franco Lamanna (Darlington Mowden Park, UK), Manuel Leindekar (Oyonnax, FRA), Diego Magno (Houston SaberCats, USA), Manuel Ardao (Old Christians), Santiago Civetta (Old Boys), Juan Manuel Gaminara (Old Boys), Juan Diego Ormaechea (Carrasco Polo), Manuel Diana (Toronto Arrows, CAN), Alejandro Nieto (Houston SaberCats, USA)
BACKS: Santiago Arata (Houston SaberCats, USA), Agustín Ormaechea (Mont de Marsan, FRA), Felipe Berchesi (Dax, FRA), Felipe Etcheverry (Carrasco Polo), Juan Manuel Cat (Old Boys), Agustín Della Corte (Trébol de Paysandú), Tomás Inciarte (Old Christians), Andrés Vilaseca (Austin Elite, USA), Federico Favaro (Old Christians), Nicolás Freitas (Carrasco Polo), Leandro Leivas (Toronto Arrows, CAN), Gastón Mieres (Toronto Arrows, CAN), Rodrigo Silva (Austin Elite, USA)
