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Before a single minute of the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) was played, the competition was already groundbreaking. Included is a professional team from Paraguay.
The Olímpia Lions are to be the rugby team for Paraguay’s leading soccer club, Olímpia. In the round ball sport, Olímpia has 43 national titles and is the only Paraguayan side to win the Copa de Libertadores. The SLAR is, in effect, rugby’s version of the Copa de Libertadores.
HEAD COACH: The Olímpia Lions are coached by Raúl Pérez. The 54-year-old is a former assistant coach to Daniel Hourade with Los Pumas and was the first Head Coach of Los Jaguares. As a player he won 1 caps for Argentina from 1992-1999. He was a member of the RWC 1999 roster, but did not receive any game time.
CAPTAIN: Wearing the captain’s armband for the Olímpia Lions is Gabriel Ascárate. The 32-year-old from Tucumán, Argentina is a veteran on the home-based Argentine front and also has some experience playing abroad in France and Scotland. He was a Jaguar, but was down the order. This means that his opportunity of playing professional rugby in South America has taken on the form of him playing for a team outside of his homeland. As a solid defender, he will certainly lead the Olímpia Lions by example.
STAR PLAYER: The Olímpia Lions impressively signed former Puma Manuel Montero and Fijian flier, Napolioni Nalaga. Both are quick in their own right and both are incredibly large wingers. Scrum-half Facundo Manilla is a strong signing from Spain, yet the star player that needs to be singled out is Namibia’s Damian Stevens. The 24-year-old has 27 caps for his country, including five matches at RWCs. He scored a sensational try against Italy at RWC 2019 in Osaka, Japan.
SMART SIGNING: The Olímpia Lions have recruited very well indeed. This includes the aforementioned Ascárate, Montero, Nalaga, Stevens and others such as Grant Hermanus and Axel Zapata. The smart signing, though, may yet be another name. ARN notes Max Katjijeko as a versatile flanker or second-rower who proved himself at RWC 2019. The Namibian is also still only 24-years-old. His youth and abilities make him a player that could shine in the competition.
ONE TO WATCH: The quantity of imported players are a differential feature between the Olímpia Lions and the remaining SLAR sides. This was always going to be the case, with initial analysis deeming that Paraguay had nine players ready for the competition. One of these such athletes is Renato Cardona. Short in stature, he is a natural scrum-half, however he has played a lot on the wing and at fullback. ARN is excited about the possibility of Cardona in the back-three with Montero and Nalaga.
OUTLOOK: The Olímpia Lions are notably well-organized. The team has quickly come together and the staff have succeeded in building a sound player roster. It will be an opportunity for rugby of a higher level than that previously seen on Paraguayan territory, which is a win-win for rugby in the country. This will benefit the test side tremendously and likely enable more Paraguayans into the SLAR side in the coming years.
For further information click here to access the ARN Súper Liga Americana de Rugby page.
