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Andrés Vilaseca is too play in France. The captain of Los Teros and Peñarol is being recruited by Vannes from Uruguay, as reported by Ouest France. The move comes after Alapati Leiua failed medical exams.
Vannes play in France’s second division, the Pro D2. The club has been competing for promotion to the Top 14 and has been close in recent seasons. Vilaseca will join fellow RWC 2019 Uruguayan Nicolás Freitas at the club. Freitas had an impressive rookie season at the club in 2021-2022. He was a regular starter at outside center. Vilaseca’s regular position is inside center.
Vilaseca took over of the Uruguayan captaincy from RWC 2019 captain Juan Manuel Gaminara in 2020. Gaminara had been captain of Uruguay for four years following RWC 2015. Andrés Vilaseca is the younger brother of Santiago Vilaseca, the player who led Uruguay at RWC 2015.
The younger of the brothers also played at RWC 2015. He played in all four of Uruguay’s matches in England and Wales and also featured in all four games in Japan 2019. He has been a mainstay in the team for a sustained period dating back to 2003. He joins Vannes with 70 test caps to his name.
Andrés Vilaseca is a three time Nations Cup champion. He was also a regular in the Americas Rugby Championship. Outside of the international arena, Vilaseca has played professional rugby in both North America and South America. He featured in Major League Rugby for Austin and captained Peñarol to the SLAR title in 2022.
The inside center is a Montevideo local. He comes from traditional club Old Boys, with whom he won the national Uruguayan championship in 2013. The same club produced both Santiago Vilaseca and Juan Manuel Gaminara.
