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Juan Figallo has retired from rugby. The 32-year-old retired from Los Pumas after RWC 2019. Injury complications have now seen him calling it a day. He retirement comes following the advise of medical specialists.
Figallo played in three RWCs for Argentina. He played in ten Rugby World Cup matches and was capped 33 times in total by his country.
From the northern Argentine city of Salta, Figallo went through the domestic system playing firstly for Argentina u19’s before rising to the very top. Having impressed at such a young age Santiago Phelan selected Figallo for a November tour in November 2008 at the age of 20.
Following the tour he would be signed by Montpellier to play in the Top 14 though his test debut would not come until June 2010. His debut came following his first season as a professional player and saw him a part of a winning side in Buenos Aires against France.
He played for Montpellier until 2014. He moved to Saracens in the UK following a back injury sustained playing against New Zealand in the 2013 Rugby Championship.
At Saracens Figallo was able to rehabilitate and won the Anglo-Welsh Cup, English Premiership, and European Champions Cup. These follow him previously playing in the Top 14 Final for Montpellier.
Mario Ledesma recalled Figallo for the 2018 Rugby Championship where he played in the two matches against South Africa. In winning the second he added to prior wins over France, Georgia, Italy, Romania, Scotland, and Wales.
The last of Figallo’s 33 caps was in the pool match loss against England in Tokyo. One week earlier he started in the win over Tonga in Osaka. His first RWC match saw him ousting the great Martín Scelzo. He was praised in the competition. Sir Ian McGeechan named Figallo as the best player in Pool B of RWC 2011. The group was the Pool of Death containing Argentina, England, Georgia, Romania, and Scotland.
