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The Olímpia Lions have signed Javier Díaz. The Paraguayan Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) franchise will have the Puma avaliable for their season opener against Peñarol on Tuesday, March 16. Díaz previously played for Argentina under Daniel Hourcade and for Los Jaguares under Raúl Pérez.
The 25-year-old Díaz played three test matches for Argentina in June 2018. He played against Wales and Scotland for Los Pumas’ mid-year home internationals. His selection followed impressive performances in Super Rugby for Los Jaguares. Injury saw him miss out in 2019 and he has been unable to add to his three caps from 2018.
Díaz will now play for the Olímpia Lions under Raúl Pérez. The Tucumán loose head prop is one of 19 Argentines on the 30-man roster. He will be up against fellow Argentine players in his own position. Five of the front-rowers are Argentine. They are Rodrigo Martínez, Áxel Zapata, Mariano Muntaner, Javier Díaz, and Lucas Favre.
Additional Argentine players on the roster cover all other positions. Of the forwards Carlos Repetto, and Mauro Rebussone are second-rowers; Matías Gómez Vara, Ignacio Gandini, Lucas Santa Cruz, and Jerónimo Gómez Vara are backrowers.
The backs from Argentina include possible Puma scrum-halves Ignacio Inchauspe, and Joaquín Pellandini, and winger Leopoldo Herrera. They are joined by fly half Máximo Ledesma; centers Franco Bullentini, Rodrigo Gómez Vara, and Francisco Diez; and fullback Martín Bogado.
The eleven remaining players to travel to Chile are Paraguayans. They are props Luis Quinteros, Martín Sitjar, and Daniel Cabral; second-rowers Carlos Plate, and Mariano Elli, N8 Marcos Riquelme; centers Sebastián Urbieta, Marcelo Matiauda, and Diego Argaña, and wingers Renato Cardona, and Juan Daniel González.
