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Argentine mid-fielder Lucas Mensa will continue his career in France. The RWC 2019 center has signed for Valence Romans Drôme Rugby (VRDR) to play in the French second division, the Pro D2.
Valence Romans made the official announcement earlier today. It came following speculation that the 24-year-old was departing Argentina for his first foreign-based opportunity as a professional rugby player.
Despite having no Super Rugby experience, Mensa was selected for RWC 2019 by Mario Ledesma. He was a a replacement in the match against England where he earned his second test cap. His debut was against South Africa where he scored a disallowed try.
Following RWC 2019 Mensa was expected to feature for Los Jaguares. He prepared for the 2020 Super Rugby season, but did not play. Instead he captained Los Ceibos in the inaugural Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). He played in the team’s two league matches against the Olímpia Lions (Paraguay) and Selknam (Chile) before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
His move to France is a two-year-deal. He will thus be contracted to Valence Romans for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. Following Bautista Ezcurra, he is the second Pumas center to sign for a foreign club this week.
Mensa’s departure from Argentina comes following two significant occurrences. First, he was named by Ledesma in Argentina’s 59-man long list to train for international duty. Second, the UAR is now encouraging players to take up offers abroad with foreign clubs.
