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The defending SLAR champions, Los Jaguares XV open their 2022 campaign against Los Cafeteros Pro in Valparaíso, Chile. The match is a new beginning for many; players looking to boost their careers will be able to demonstrate themselves to a wide audience.
Los Cafeteros Pro will be led from the back. Franco Giudice will lead the Colombian side in what is his second SLAR team. He played for Os Cobras in 2021. The overrall Cafeteros Pro roster contains twenty Argentines and ten Colombians and Giudice will indeed lead a team consisting of twelve Argentines and three Colombians.
The forwards have a 7-1 split with former Peñarol player, Diver Ceballos being the one Colombian starting forward. 2022 is his third season of SLAR. The other starting Colombians will be Andrés Álvarez and Alain Altahona on the wings. Álvarez is playing his second season of SLAR for Los Cafeteros Pro.
Of the Argentine starting players, Javier Corvalán is notably playing his second season for Los Cafeteros Pro. Former Argentine u18 hooker Alvaro Llaver, and the massive 135kg Brian González join Corvalán in the front-row. In addition to Corvalán, N8 Felipe Puertas is also a returnee from 2021. Meanwhile, Leonardo Gea made the transfer from the Olímpia Lions to the Colombian team this season.
In order for Los Cafeteros Pro to be competitive they will need to do well in the collision area. Halves Marcos Amorisa, and Julián Hernández will need the hard work down form them to distribute to the backs. Hernández is a notable recruit; he is one to watch out for.
Los Jaguares XV have a Colombian connection. Javier Coronel will play tight head prop for the Argentine side, doing so after having played for Los Cafeteros Pro in 2021. The Argentine SLAR entrant will start Coronel in addition to Manuel Bernstein (ex Cobras), Jerónimo Gómez Vara (ex Olímpia Lions), and Martín Bogado (ex Olímpia Lions).
Plenty of eyes will be on the players from other teams now playing for Los Jaguares XV. Also under the stotlight will be Mayco Vivas. The Pumas reserve loose hread prop from RWC 2019 makes his comeback against Los Cafeteros Pro.
Joining Vivas in making his SLAR debut will be hooker Andrea Panzarini, flanker Elisio Chiavassa, fly half Santiago Mare, and winger Ramiro Dagostino. Mare won Bronze at the Tokyo Olympics for Argentina Sevens. He will have plenty of firepower outside him with Juan Pablo Castro, and Agustín Segura starting in the centers and Gerónimo Prisciantelli at fullback. Prisciantelli’s battle against Giudice is the ARN feature match-up of the contest.
Los Cafeteros Pro and Los Jaguares XV were poles apart in SLAR 2021. The Colombian side did not register a win during the season while the Argentine side was undefeated. Los Jaguares XV are yet to be beaten in SLAR or in the Currie Cup First Division. The 80-7 win last April was a SLAR record.
TEAMS
CAFETEROS PRO
1 Javier Corvalán, 2 Alvaro Llaver, 3 Brian González, 4 Gregorio Hernández, 5 Eliseo Fourcade, 6 Joaquín Sánchez, 7 Diver Ceballos, 8 Felipe Puertas, 9 Marcos Amorisa, 10 Julián Hernández, 11 Andrés Álvarez, 12 Manuel Alfaro, 13 Leonardo Gea, 14 Alain Altahona, 15 Franco Giudice (capt.)
Replacements: 16 Boris Wenger, 17 Carlos Angulo, 18 Tomás Bertot, 19 Federico Lavanini, 20 Bryan Guzmán, 21 Juan Mernes, 22 Eliseo Morales, 23 Valentín Fernández
JAGUARES XV
1 Mayco Vivas, 2 Andrea Panzarini, 3 Javier Coronel, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 Manuel Bernstein, 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara, 7 Elisio Chiavassa, 8 Santiago Ruiz, 9 Rafael Iriate, 10 Santiago Mare, 11 Martín Bogado, 12 Juan Pablo Castro, 13 Agustín Segura, 14 Ramiro Dagostino, 15 Gerónimo Prisciantelli
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Santiago Pulella, 18 Martín Villar, 19 Lucio Anconetani, 20 Federico Albrisi, 21 Joaquín Pellandini, 22 Tomás Suárez Folch, 23 Iñaki Delguy
Date: Sunday, March 09
Venue: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander, Valparaíso
Kickoff: 3:00pm (Santiago, Asunción, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Brasília), 1:00pm (Bogotá)
Referee: Frank Méndez (Chile)
Assistant Referees: Martín Eusebio; Raimundo Funzalida
TMO: Gabriel Pinter
Broadcast: ESPN America Latina, ESPN Brasil, Star +
Historical Results:
2021-03-16 – Cafeteros Pro 28, Jaguares XV 71 (Estadio de La Pintana, Santiago, Chile)
2021-04-16 – Jaguares XV 80, Cafeteros Pro 07 (Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, Uruguay)
