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Javier Ortega Desio has been drafted into the Argentina XV. He will compete in the South American 4 Nations. The competition will see Argentina’s next of XV facing Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay this month in Montevideo.
Ortega Desio was Argentina’s starting No8 at RWC 2019. The team did not meet expectations. Losses against France and England saw the team elimination at the group stage. A notable change for the 2020 Rugby Championship comes at No8. Facundo Isa was named on the roster. Ortega Desio was not.
The 57 time capped Ortega Desio now faces an uphill challenge to return to Los Pumas. The roster for the Rugby Championship contains Rodrigo Bruni, Facundo Isa, and Joaquín Oviedo for No8 and Juan Martín González, Francisco Gorrissen, Santiago Grondona, Marcos Kremer, Tomás Lezana and Pablo Matera for flanker. Ortega Desio is naturally a flanker.
The original Argentina XV roster was different. Ortega Desio is the most notable inclusion. Other additions are Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel and Roberto Tallone from the u20’s. The former replaces the injured Lucas Bur.
Additional changes see juggling of players per position. First, Santiago Portillo will feature as a second-rower rather than a No8. Second Mateo Carreras will feature in the back-three with Tomás Cubilla thus able to revert to the mid-field. Cubilla will captain the side.
The new call-ups also see three players excluded. Rather than missing out they have instead been promoted to Los Pumas. Rodrigo Fernández Criado replaces the injured Tomás Lavanini; Joaquín Oviedo has been preferred to Ortega Desio and Tomás Albornoz has been preferred to Patricio Fernández and Benjamín Urdapilleta.
SOUTH AMERICAN 4 NATIONS – ARGENTINA XV ROSTER
LOOSE HEAD PROP
Rodrigo Martínez (Ceibos)
Javier Díaz (Jaguares)
HOOKER
Leonel Oviedo (Ceibos)
Martín Vaca (Los Pumitas)
Ignacio Ruiz (Los Pumitas)
TIGHT HEAD PROP
Estanislao Carullo (Los Pumitas)
Lucas Favre (Ceibos)
Francisco Minervino (Ceibos)
SECOND-ROW
Federico Gutiérrez (Olímpia Lions, PA)
Franco Molina (Ceibos)
Santiago Portillo (Ceibos)
Ramiro Tallone (u20’s)
FLANKER
Lautaro Bavaro (Ceibos)
Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel (u20’s)
Santiago Ruiz (Ceibos)
N8
Javier Ortega Desio (Jaguares)
Bautista Pedemonte (Jaguares)
SCRUM HALF
Lautaro Bazán Vélez (Los Pumas 7’s)
Gonzalo García (Ceibos)
FLY HALF
Martín Elias (Ceibos)
Santiago Mare (Los Pumas 7’s)
CENTER
Teo Castiglioni (Ceibos)
Tomás Cubilla (Ceibos)
Juan Pablo Castro (Ceibos)
Matías Osadczuk (Los Pumas 7’s)
WING
Martín Cancelliere (Ceibos)
Facundo Ferrario (Ceibos)
Leopoldo Herrera (Ceibos)
FULLBACK
Juan Bautista Daireaux (Ceibos)
Mateo Carreras (Jaguares)
