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Argentina will field two teams in Super Rugby Americas 2023. The competition sees the Super Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) rebranded and expanded. Pampas replace Los Jaguares XV and will play in Buenos Aires. Los Jaguares XV went undefeated in SLAR 2021 but were eliminated in the 2022 Semi Finals.
Click here to access the complete 2023 Pampas player roster.
Click here to access the Super Rugby Americas home page.
COACHING STAFF
Ignacio Fernández Lobbe has stayed on; he makes the jump from Jaguares XV to Pampas Head Coach. The former Pumas second-rower coached Los Jaguares XV to the 2021 title. He also remains Head Coach of the national next-of-XV, the Argentina XV. As a player he is considered one of the all-time greats of Los Pumas. He earned 65 caps for Argentina including playing in Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003 and 2007. He played professional rugby for Bordeaux and Castres in France and for Bath, Northampton and Sale Sharks in England. He won the English Premiership with Sale in 2006.
RECRUITMENT
The team is new but has many Jaguares XV players. This corresponds into the roster being a mixture of Jaguares XV players and names arriving at this level and returning from abroad. Eliseo Morales is a player to watch out for in Super Rugby Americas 2023. The scrum-half was excellent for the Colombian side in SLAR 2022 and is a possibility for Argentina at the World Cup. 19-year-old Eliseo Chiavassa is a flanker of immense potential.
IMPORTS
The team is entirely homegrown. All players are Argentine. All were born in Argentina and all are products of the Argentine rugby system. The roster contains players who are back in Argentina from abroad. Puma Rodrigo Martínez is back from Wasps (UK), Rodrigo Fernández Criado is back from Montauban (FR) and Joaquín de la Vega Mendía returns from Rugby ATL (US). Javier Corvalán, Eliseo Fourcade and Federico Lavanini, and Eliseo Morales played for Los Cafeteros Pro in SLAR 2022. Morales and Martínez are both capped with the former debuting against Wales in November 2022.
POSSIBLE STARTING XV
1 Rodrigo Martínez
2 Ramiro Gurovich
3 Javier Coronel
4 Rodrigo Fernández Criado
5 Federico Lavanini
6 Eliseo Chiavassa
7 Manuel Bernstein
8 Santiago Ruiz
9 Eliseo Morales
10 Joaquín de la Vega Mendía
11 Jerónimo Ulloa
12 Juan Pablo Castro
13 Manuel Alfaro
14 Iñaki Delguy
15 Juan Ignacio Landó
