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Colombia’s professional rugby team, Cafeteros Pro had a winlesss rookie season in the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) season. The team for the 2022 season is notably different and the chances of wins appear to be greater this year.
SLAR 2022 will be the third season of the South American professional rugby competition. It is to be the second year for Los Cafeteros Pro. The Medellín-based team was supposed to feature as an invitational team during the knock-out stages of the 2022 season.
Los Cafeteros Pro enter the SLAR 2022 as the 6th seed. This is based on a number of factors, none more so than how the 2021 season unfolded. The Colombian side was competitive in certain matches despite not having a win to show for the season.
Changes to the Cafeteros Pro roster from 2021 to 2022 have been significant. There has been a high turnover of players including Argentines who have moved on to continue their careers elsewhere or who are back in Argentina. Many Colombians from SLAR 2021 are also missing from the 2022 roster.
COACHING STAFF
Nicolás Galatro is in charge of Los Cafeteros Pro in 2022. Galatro replaces Rodolfo Amborsio; the Argentine had moved from his post as Brazil’s head coach to coach the Colombian SLAR side. Galatro is a former professional rugby player. The native of Rosario played for Duendes and Olivos and in Italy for Petraca and Catania. At the age of 40 he took charge of the High Performance Center in Rosario.
NEWCOMERS
The 2022 Cafeteros Pro contains a 30 man roster of which 20 are Argentines and 10 are Colombians. Among the Argentines are former Cobras fullback Franco Giudice and Olímpia Lions’ center Leonardo Gea Salim. New Argentine players include the promising Valentáin Fernández and Federico Lavanini, the younger brother of Puma Tomás Lavanini. Argentine prop Javier Corvalán and flanker Felipe Puertas are back for a second season. Carlos Angulo and Daniel Gutiérrez both played for Carrasco Polo in Montevideo. Alain Altahona previously played in Argentina.
DEPARTED
Significant changes to Los Cafeteros Pro have, in part, been influenced by injuries. Danny Giraldo, Santiago Mejía and Jhon Carlos Álvarez are all out for this reason. Gerson Ortiz is now playing in Europe. Winger Jhon Arley Urrutia and Cristian Rodallegas are notably not included. Of the 2021 Argentines Facundo Ferrario, Santiago Resino and Gonzalo García now play professional rugby in Italy . Uruguayan second-rower Tomás Etcheverry is now playing for Peñarol.
IMPORTS
Los Cafeteros Pro have 20 players from Argentina. 66.6% of the player roster are from abroad. This is a notably rise compared to the 2021 player roster. Under a new arrangement, the UAR has taken control of Los Cafeteros Pro. The moves point towards a stronger team than in 2021 with progress of the national Colombian test team being gradual rather than continuing with the prior policy of instantaneous.
POSSIBLE STARTING XV
1 – Brian González
2 – Boris Wegner
3 – Tomás Bertot
4 – Gregório Hernández
5 – Federico Lavanini
6 – Diver Ceballos
7 – Juan Bautista Mernes
8 – Felipe Puertas
9 – Valentín Fernández
10 – Julián Hernández
11 – Brayan Guzmán
12 – Manuel Alfaro
13 – Leonardo Gea Salim
14 – Manuel de Marco
15 – Franco Giudice
