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Argentina’s preparations for Rugby World Cup 2023 are on track. Los Pumas started their 2022 season with a series win over Scotland and came away with multiple wins in the Rugby Championship. The Argentina XV also performed well on their European tour.
Selections, combinations, injuries and form all point to a narrowing pathway for players. Who will be on Michael Cheika’s roster for France 2023 is increasingly evident. Players across all positions are in a fight to have their name read-out for the tournament.
Los Pumas will play in Pool D of RWC 2023. The group consists of Argentina, Chile, England, Japan, and Samoa. and Samoa. All players on the roster will see game time and no player will be selected on sentimental grounds. That is to say, there will not be an omission similar to in 2019 when Mario Ledesma left out Facundo Isa but included Juan Manuel Leguizamón on the roster.
Click here to access Argentina’s complete list of senior training squads and overseas professionals.
The following table notes the rankings of players across all positions. This has been organized based on the patterns of selection under Michael Cheika in addition to comments made before and during the international season.
| POS | 1st Choice | 2nd Choice | 3rd Choice | 4th Choice |
| 1 LH | T Gallo | N T Chaparro | M Vivas | I Calles |
| 2 HO | J Montoya | A Creevy | S Socino | F Bosch |
| 3 TH | F G Kodela | J Sclavi | E Bello | S Medrano |
| 4 LO | M Alemanno | G Petti | F Molina | F Lavanini |
| 5 LO | T Lavanini | L Paulos | N Milán | R F Criado |
| 6 FL | J M González | S Grondona | F Gorrissen | J B Pedemonte |
| 7 FL | M Kremer | P Rubiolo | T Lezana | J Gómez Vara |
| 8 N8 | P Matera | F Isa | R Bruni | J Oviedo |
| 9 SH | G Bertranou | T Cubelli | G García | E Morales |
| 10 FH | S Carreras | B Urdapilleta | T Albornoz | N Sánchez |
| 11 L WI | J Imhoff | L Cinti | M Carreras | J Domínguez |
| 12 I CE | S Chocobares | M Orlando | L Mensa | B Ezcurra |
| 13 O CE | J de la Fuente | M Moroni | A Segura | T Cubilla |
| 14 R WI | E Boffelli | S Cordero | B Delguy | S Cancelliere |
| 15 FB | J C Mallía | I Mendy | M Bogado | F Cordero |
The table lists 60 players. This is almost double the number that will compete at the World Cup. It is, nonetheless, intentional. Certain positions require more players than others. While certain players will be selected to cover multiple positions. For instance, Emiliano Boffelli and Santiago Cordero are listed as wings though would arguably be second and third choices for fullback.
Rosters at RWC 2023 will consist of 33 players. This is an increase from 31 from the previous tournament. The 33 players that ARN projects for Argentina’s roster are those in the color blue above. The remaining names can be considered non-traveling replacements. Thus, an injury to a blue name would see the next listed name selected.
Argentina’s match order will be England first, Samoa second, Chile third and fourth Japan. Player rotation is certain. The possibility exists for Argentina to play an entirely different roster from game one to game two or from game three to game four.
The projected First XV is the side that ARN deems Cheika will field against England. Fourteen of the fifteen players were regulars in the 2022 Rugby Championship. Santiago Chocobares missed the tournament but had been on Argentina’s first roster of the year.
The forwards have all featured heavily under Cheika in 2022. The demonstrated desire for size in the second-row sees Matías Alemanno and Tomás Lavanini both starting. By playing Pablo Matera at N8 there is an overall back-row balance to the trio.
The backs feature oragnizers at scrum-half and fly half, a counter-attacking option at fullback, defensively reliable centers, finishers out wide and defensively sound players for the aerial game. Emiliano Boffelli would be the goal-kicker.
PROJECTED FIRST XV
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | POS | CAPS |
| 1 | Thomas Gallo | Benetton (IT) | LH | 10 |
| 2 | Julián Montoya (capt.) | Leicester Tigers (UK) | HO | 83 |
| 3 | Francisco Gómez Kodela | Lyon (FR) | TH | 26 |
| 4 | Matías Alemanno | Gloucester (UK) | LO | 81 |
| 5 | Tomás Lavanini | Clermont (FR) | LO | 75 |
| 6 | Juan Martín González | London Irish (UK) | FL | 17 |
| 7 | Marcos Kremer | Stade Français (FR) | FL | 53 |
| 8 | Pablo Matera | Honda Heat (JP) | N8 | 88 |
| 9 | Gonzalo Bertranou | Dragons (UK) | SH | 45 |
| 10 | Santiago Carreras | Gloucester (UK) | FH | 28 |
| 11 | Juan Imhoff | Racing 92 (FR) | WI | 42 |
| 12 | Santiago Chocobares | Toulouse (FR) | CE | 5 |
| 13 | Jerónimo de la Fuente | Perpignan (FR) | CE | 71 |
| 14 | Emiliano Boffelli | Edinburgh (UK) | WI | 47 |
| 15 | Juan Cruz Mallía | Toulouse (FR) | FB | 20 |
The replacements shape-up as being second-choice players as listed above. This would mean Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Agustín Creevy and Joel Sclavi for the front-row, Guido Petti for the second-row, Tomás Cubelli for scrum-half, and Benjamín Urdapilleta for fly half. Two questions surround back-row and midfield / outside back. Cheika’s selections suggest Santiago Grondona or Facundo Isa for the former and and Lucio Cinti or Matías Moroni for the later. Grondona and Cinti are slightly favored.
Attention now turns to the matches following Argentina’s opener against England. Regardless of the outcome of the match in Marseille, Argentina will be certain to prioritize the final pool match against Japan. Listed below, the potential line-up selected is very different.
PROJECTED OTHER LINE-UP
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | POS | CAPS |
| 1 | Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | Benetton (IT) | LH | 74 |
| 2 | Santiago Socino | Gloucester (UK) | HO | 6 |
| 3 | Eduardo Bello | Saracens (UK) | TH | 6 |
| 4 | Guido Petti | Bordeaux (FR) | SR | 73 |
| 5 | Marcos Kremer | Stade Français (FR) | SR | 53 |
| 6 | Santiago Grondona | Exeter Chiefs (UK) | FL | 10 |
| 7 | Pedro Rubiolo | Jaguares XV | FL | 1 |
| 8 | Facundo Isa | Toulon (FR) | N8 | 41 |
| 9 | Gonzalo García | Zebre (IT) | SH | 3 |
| 10 | Benjamín Urdapilleta | Castres (FR) | FH | 19 |
| 11 | Lucio Cinti | London Irish (UK) | WI | 12 |
| 12 | Matías Orlando (capt.) | Newcastle Falcons (UK) | CE | 54 |
| 13 | Matías Moroni | Newcastle Falcons (UK) | CE | 66 |
| 14 | Santiago Cordero | Bordeaux (FR) | WI | 46 |
| 15 | Juan Cruz Mallía | Toulouse (FR) | FB | 20 |
As demonstrated, the team has heavy player rotation. It would be possible to rotate even more. Individual needs such as injuries are certain to factor in. The team sees rests for captain Julián Montoya and other senior players including Matías Alemanno, Emiliano Boffelli, Francisco Gómez Kodela, Juan Imhoff, Tomás Lavanini, Pablo Matera, and Jerónimo de la Fuente.
Young players are also given a rest. This sees Thomas Gallo and Juan Martín González replaced. Meanwhile, Marcos Kremer moves to the second-row. He is likely to play in the position at some point. This is the leading factor as to why Lucas Paulos’ name is missing from the projected roster. A second is that Pedro Rubiolo is in the frame; a reality that places pressure on Brive players Lucas Paulos and Rodrigo Bruni.
Matías Orlando is listed as captain. He has previously captained Los Jaguares in Super Rugby. Cheika will have the luxury to call-up the Tucumán center while not starting names such as Montoya, Matera, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente and also Agustín Creevy. They could be rested altogether or feature as replacements.
Replacements in the rotated selection point towards being a front-row of Mayco Vivas, Agustín Creevy, and Joel Sclavi, second-rower Matías Alemanno, flanker Juan Martín González, scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou, fly half Tomás Albornoz and wing Juan Imhoff.
