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The final match of round seven will be top vs bottom; the undefeated Jaguare XV take-on the winless Cafeteros Pro. It is the battle-hardened team from the giants of the Americas, Argentina against the Colombian side. Los Jaguares XV have already qualified for the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) Semi Finals. How will they approach their remaining regular season matches?
The Argentines go in to the game with a new leader; Tomás Cubilla steps in for Felipe Ezcurra. This means a first start of the season for Rafael Iriate at scrum-half. He will play inside Martín Elías who is again prefered to Tomás Albonoz. A second play-maker, Teo Castiglioni will give the team plenty of options as will Gerónimo Prisciantellli from fullback.
The forwards line-up with plent of changes. They include a new-look front-row in Francisco Minervino, Ignacio Ruiz, and Luciano Torres. Second-rower Rodrigo Fernández Criado will play out of position at flanker.
Los Cafeteros Pro have gone heavily Colombian. This includes an entire Colombian front-row for the first time; Juan David Herrera, Jorge Álvarez, and Brayhan Pérez start up-front. Sebastián Zapata joins captain Jhon Álvarez in the sceond-row while Diver Ceballos, and Danny Giraldo will be the starting flankers. Felipe Puertas is the one non-Colombian starting in the team.
For the first time all starting backs are Colombians. This includes a first sSLAR start together for Oscar Forero, and Jhojan Ortíz in the halves. They will have the in-form Cristian Rodallegas providing support from inside center. Álvaro Gamarra will partner Rodallegas in the centers while Julián Navarro, Julián Velandia, and Andrés Álvarez start in the back-three.
Los Jaguares are a complete team. There are strengths across all positions; the team’s ability to rotate is second to none. They play with a focus on winning the immediate battle. Their succcess in doing so has resuled in pressure on the opposition and has led to tries. Los Cafeteros Pro are, by definition, the weakest team in SLAR; yet, they pay an open brand of rugby that can and has brought points.
The previous match between the sides was a big win for Los Jaguares XV. On the one hand, this did not come as a surprise. On the other hand, Los Cafeteros Pro scored four tries to score a bonus point. This was a surprise. It underlines that the Colombian team are interested in more than a learning experience; they are here to play.
Itg goes without saying Los Jaguares XV are the heavy favorites. The Argentine side contains depth. It is a reputable line-up that goes to show why one Argentine team is not enough for the Americas rugby giants. ARN expects another bonus point win for Los Jaguares XV. Los Cafeteros Pro will also score points; albeit, a bonus point is very unlikely. ARN are favorties to win by 70 points.
Kickoff is set for 9:00pm local time, Asunción, Buenos Aires and Brasília; 8:00pm Santiago; and 7pm Bogotá. Live broadcasts will be provided by ESPN in the competing countries.
JAGUARES XV
1 Francisco Minervino, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 3 Luciano Torres, 4 Federico Gutiérrez, 5 Franco Molina, 6 Lautaro Bavaro, 7 Rodrigo Fernández Criado, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 9 Rafael Iriarte, 10 Martín Elías, 11 Martín Cancelliere, 12 Teo Castiglioni, 13 Tomás Cubilla (capt.), 14 Sebastián Cancelliere, 15 Gerónimo Prisciantelli
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Tomás Bernasconi, 20 Martín Vaca, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Tomás Albornoz, 23 Juan Pablo Castro
CAFETEROS PRO
1 Juan David Herrera, 2 Jorge Álvarez, 3 Brayhan Pérez, 4 Sebastián Zapata, 5 Jhon Álvarez, 6 Diver Ceballos, 7 Danny Giraldo, 8 Felipe Puertas, 9 Oscar Forero, 10 Jhojan Ortíz, 11 Julián Navarro, 12 Cristian Rodallegas, 13 Álvaro Gamarra, 14 Julián Velandia, 15 Andrés Álvarez
Replacements: 16 Agustín Acosto, 17 Yani Pérez, 18 Diego Posada, 19 Enzo Ocampo, 20 Tomás Etceverry, 21 Facundo Ferrario, 22 Nicolás Roger, 23 Santiago Resino
Date: Friday, April 16
Venue: Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Kickoff: 9:00pm (Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Brasília), 8:00pm (Santiago), 7:00pm (Bogotá)
Referee: Cauã Ricardo (Brazil)
Broadcast: ESPN America Latina, ESPN Brasil
Historical Results:
2021-03-16 – Cafeteros Pro 28, Jaguares XV 71 (Estadio de La Pintana, Santiago, Chile)
