Brazilians dominate Cobras Roster for Super Rugby Americas

Brazil’s professional rugby team, Os Cobras, have confirmed their player roster for Super Rugby Americas 2023. The team is dominated by Brazilians. Veteran Gabriel Paganini will captain the team from the second-row. Back-rower Adrio Melo will be his understudy.

Os Cobras have a 36-man roster for the campaign. The roster includes twenty-one forwards and fifteen backs. They will be under the command of interim coach Josh Reeves.

Of the 36 players, 21 of them received game time for Os Cobras in the 2022 edition of the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). The competition has been rebranded to Super Rugby Americas for 2023. The change involves the inclusion of Colorado side the American Raptors for Colombia’s Cafeteros Pro and Argentina replacing Jaguares XV with Pampas and Dogos.

The roster includes two Brazil test-eligible names who are uncapped. Hooker Diego Vidal is back in his home country from Europe while Ben Donald joins from New Zealand. Donald is eligible for Brazil via cumulative residency as a child.

Diego Vidal played in Europe for a number of years. He played for Leon and El Salvador in Spain, for Torinese in Italy’s Seria A, and in Ireland for Ballynahinch and Cork Constitution in 2022. He is Spanish with Brazilian heritage.

Additional names from abroad are Argentines. The 2023 Cobras roster contains four from the giants of Americas Rugby. Córdoba players Facundo Villalba, and Nicolás Cantarutti will face many colleagues when Os Cobras face Los Dogos while Lucio Anconetani joins as a former Jaguares XV player and Bautista Vidal arrives from Pablo Matera’s club in Buenos Aires.

Of the Argentines the inclusion of Cantarutti is of particular note. He put in a match-winning performance for the Argentina XV against Uruguay. He was a possibility for Los Jaguares in Super Rugby but continued his career in Italy.

Os Cobras will be based in São Paulo. The home ground for matches is yet to be announced. The team will begin Super Rugby Americas 2023 in São Paulo against Los Pampas on February 19.

 

COBRAS BRASIL XV

LOOSE HEAD PROP
Brendon Alves (Pasteur, São Paulo)
Alexandre Alves (Desterro, Santa Catarina)
André Brandão (Jacareí, São Paulo)

HOOKER
Leonardo Silva (São José dos Campos, São Paulo)
Endy Willian Pinheiro (Curitiba, Paraná)
Diego Vidal (Cork Constitution, Ireland) *

TIGHT HEAD PROP
Levy Marinho (Jacareí, São Paulo)
Henrique Ferreira (Pasteur, São Paulo)
Bautista Vidal (Alumni, Argentina)
Joel Ramírez (Jacareí, São Paulo)

SECOND-ROW
Lucio Anconetani (Duendes, Argentina)
Kauã Guimarães (Pasteur, São Paulo)
Gabriel Paganini (Poli, São Paulo)
Ben Donald (Mount Maunganui, New Zealand) *
Gabriel Oliveira (Jacareí, São Paulo)

FLANKER
Luccas Adib (Poli, São Paulo)
Pedro Henrique Aparecido (Poli, São Paulo)
Mateus Cláudio (Jacareí, São Paulo)
Cleber Dias (Poli, São Paulo)

N8
André Arruda (Desterro, Santa Catarina)
Adrio Melo (Desterro, Santa Catarina)

SCRUM-HALF
Facundo Vilalba (Córdoba Athletic, Argentina)
Douglas Rauth (Curitiba, Paraná)
Felipe Gonçalves (Pasteur, São Paulo)
Igor Luciano Silva (Pasteur, São Paulo)

FLY HALF
Nicolás Cantarutti (Tala, Argentina)
Lucas Spago (Pasteur, São Paulo)
Lucas Tranquez (Poli, São Paulo)

CENTER
Robert Tenorio (Poli, São Paulo)
Victor Guilherme Silva (São José, São Paulo)

WING
Daniel Lima (Poli, São Paulo)
Ariel Rodrigues (Poli, São Paulo)
Sergio Luna (SPAC, São Paulo)
Alison Crispim (SPAC, São Paulo)

FULLBACK
Guilherme Coghetto (Farrapos, Rio Grande do Sul)
Robson Morais (Pasteur, São Paulo)

* Notes player from abroad eligible for Brazil via World Rugby eligibility laws.