Uruguay roster boosted to face Romania

Uruguay have a boosted roster for the upcoming home internationals against Romania. The roster includes six more players based outside of Uruguay that the number that toured Japan last month. The returnees boost the roster, though there are still some notable absentees.

Andrés Vilaseca lead a team that includes returning players from professional leagues in North America and Europe. Front-rowers Mateo Sanguinetti and Germán Kessler are back from France as are halves Agustín Ormaechea and Felipe Berchesi. Also added are Ignacio Dotti and fullback Gastón Mieres from Major League Rugby (MLR).

The roster also sees the fit-again Felipe Arcos Pérez included. He was injured late in the SLAR season. The players added give Los Teros an improved roster compared to that which toured Japan. This ought to see a competitive team taking on the Oaks in the two test matches in Montevideo.

The roster is not at 100%. Castres scrum-half Santiago Arata and Bayonne second-rower Manuel Leindekar are missing. Both players are being rested following busy seasons in France. The former reached the Top 14 Final while the latter helped Oyonnax to the Pro D2 Finals.

Arata and Leindekar are both first choice players. While neither has made the roster it has benefited from the returns of Ormaechea and Dotti. The latter will give Uruguay much-needed tall-timber. The physical ball-carrier is likely to join Diego Magno in his 100th test match.

Carlos Deus is the one specialist N8 on the roster. He played out of position in the second-row against Japan. He is likely to be used in his natural position, but behind star flanker Manuel Ardao who started at N8 in the series against Japan. Uruguay’s regular N8 Manuel Diana continues his recovery following surgery.

 

URUGUAY ROSTER – ROMANIA HOME SERIES 2022

LOOSE HEAD
Matías Benítez (Peñarol)
Mateo Perillo (Peñarol)
Mateo Sanguinetti (Massy Essonne, FR)

HOOKER
Emiliano Faccennini (Peñarol)
Germán Kessler (Provence, FR)
Guillermo Pujadas (Peñarol)

TIGHT HEAD
Juan Echeverría (Peñarol)
Mathias Franco (Peñarol)
Ignacio Peculo (Peñarol)

SECOND-ROW
Ignacio Dotti (NOLA Gold, US)
Tomás Etcheverry (Peñarol)
Franco Lamanna (Mogliano, IT)
Diego Magno (Peñarol)

FLANKER
Manuel Ardao (Peñarol)
Lucas Bianchi (Peñarol)
Santiago Civetta (Peñarol)
Eric Dosantos (Peñarol)

N8
Carlos Deus (Peñarol)

SCRUM-HALF
Santiago Álvarez (Peñarol)
Tomás Inciarte (Peñarol)
Agustín Ormaechea (Nice, FR)

FLY HALF
Felipe Berchesi (Dax, FR)
Felipe Etcheverry (Peñarol)

CENTER
Felipe Arcos Pérez (Peñarol)
Bautista Basso (Peñarol)
Nicolás Freitas (Vannes, FR)
Andrés Vilaseca (Peñarol)

WING
Juan Manuel Alonso (Brive, FR)
Baltazar Amaya (Peñarol)
José Maria Iruleguy (Peñarol)
Mateo Viñals (Peñarol)

FULLBACK
Gastón Mieres (Toronto Arrows, CA)
Rodrigo Silva (Peñarol)