Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Mario Ledesma has added a scrum half to his roster for the Rugby Championship. Gonzalo García joins the squad following the injury suffered by Tomás Cubelli. García joins Gonzalo Bertranou and Felipe Ezcurra as Ledesma’s scrum-half options.
Gonzalo García is uncapped. He joins the team following recent impressive form. García was the stand-out scrum-half of the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR).
His selection comes with Ledesma opting against a test recall for veteran Martín Landajo. The 33-year-old transferred from English Champions the Harlequins to Top 14 promoted Perpignan for the new season. Landajo has 84 caps for Los Pumas; a number only surpassed by Nicolás Sánchez (87) on the current roster.
Cubelli has 79 caps, Bertranou 31 and Ezcurra 12. Cubelli started all three test matches for Los Pumas in July. Bertranou was the replacement in the first two and Ezcurra in the final match. Both Bertranou and Ezcurra had starts for Los Pumas in the 2020 Rugby Championship.
Ledesma is now restructuring to determine who will be the starting scrum-half in the 2021 Rugby Championship. Gonzalo García is young; yet, at the age of 22 he brings with him experience well beyond that of most. He captained Los Cafeteros Pro in the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). ARN named García as the best scrum-half and best back in the tournament.
He signed to play in the Italian Top 10 for Valorugby Emilia in June. He did so after he was named by Ledesma as one of four scrum-halves for international duty in 2021. Ledesma did not select García for the July Internationals.
García is a product of the Natación y Gimnasia club in Tucumán. He stands at 1.73m (5ft8) tall and weighs 77 kg (170 lbs). He has a combative style of play, yet is a player with many skills including box-kicking and long and accurate passing. He is also a reliable goal-kicker.
