Joel Sclavi will not play in the Rugby Championship. The tight head prop has been replaced on the Argentine roster by Eduardo Bello. It sees one uncapped tight head out and another in. It also sees Sclavi out for a second year running; he had been placed to make his test debut in 2020.
Sclavi is set to depart Argentina for France. He is on his way to join La Rochelle in the Top 14. It will be a return to France; he left France to join Los Jaguares in Super Rugby. Sclavi has opted out of competing in the Rugby Championship to enable him mroe time for his medical studies before his arrival at La Rochelle.
Bello is a product of San Martín de Villa María. He has been baed in Italy for a number of years playing for Pro 14 (now United Rugby Championship) side Zebre.
The change means that Córdoba now has eight players on the Argentine roster for the Rugby Championship. Bello joins Facundo Gigena (London Irish), Enrique Pieretto (Glasgow Warriors), Matías Alemanno (Gloucester), Joaquín Oviedo (Perpignan), Lautaro Simes (Tala RC), Juan Cruz Mallía (Toulouse), and Santiago Carreras (Gloucester).
Mario Ledesma will name his team to face South Africa on Thursday. There will be a special conference at 11am Argentine time.
📌 Novedades en @lospumas
☑️ Eduardo Bello se sumará al plantel en Sudáfrica en reemplazo de Joel Sclavi, quien no pudo viajar debido a que tendrá que ampliar sus estudios médicos para unirse a su próximo club
☑️ Emiliano Boffelli y Facundo Gigena ya se encuentran con el equipo
— Los Pumas (@lospumas) August 11, 2021