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Professional rugby teams from Brazil and Paraguay clash in Sunday’s Super Rugby Americas match. The round three match between Os Cobras and Yacare will be the first ever professional fixture between teams from the two countries in Brazil.
Os Cobras have been competitive in the early rounds of Super Rugby Americas. However, a lack discipline has been of note. Multiple red cards and yellow cards against both teams thus far. They contributed to the team losing both of their matches thus far.
Head Coach Josh Reeves has opted to change one-third of the team to face Yacare. In the forwards Alexandre Alves comes in at loose head prop,New Zealander Ben Donald replaces Lucio Anconetani in the second-row and Irishman Donnacha Byrne starts at flanker in place of Cleber Dias.
In the backs there will be Colombian speed out wide; Alain Altahona replaces Daniel Lima on the wing. Robert Tenório is back from suspension to start at inside center. He joins Argentine Nicolás Cantarutti in the mid-field.
There will be a notable Argentine presence in Yacare. Six starting players are Argentines. Former Puma Lucas Noguera Paz starts at loose head prop. Felipe Villagrán and Felipe Puertas will play as the flankers. Ignacio Inchauspe captains the side from scrum-half. The other Argentine players are center Ramiro Amarilla and fullback Tomás Mac Call.
While some of the aforementioned players are eligible for Paraguay, nine of the starters are from Paraguay. The bench is also a mixture of home and Argentine players. Those from Argentina are replacement hooker Julián Martín, flanker Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel, center Tomás Acosta Pimental and fullback Federico Cacciabue.
Having had a bye last weekend, Yacare travel to São Paulo with fresh legs. The Paraguayan’s faced Los Dogos in Córdoba, Argentina in week one. Yacare was more competitive against the central Argentine side than Os Cobras were in week two.
Sunday’s match will officially be the first time meeting between Os Cobras and Yacare XV. Notwithstanding, the reality is very different. Yacare is not a new team but a rebranding from the Olímpia Lions as the relationship ended between soccer club Olímpia and the Paraguayan Rugby Union.
The Olímpia Lions won three of their four Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) matches against Os Cobras. The Paraguayan side won 44-8 and 19-15 in 2021 while the teams split the results in 2022. Olímpia Lions won 42-17 at home in Ciudad del Este while Os Cobras were 36-25 winners in their match in Uruguay.
TEAMS
COBRAS
1 Alexandre Alves, 2 Endy Willian Pinheiro, 3 Henrique Ferreira, 4 Ben Donald, 5 Gabriel Paganini (capt.), 6 Donnacha Byrne, 7 Matheus Cláudio, 8 André Arruda, 9 Facundo Villalba, 10 Lucas Tranquez, 11 Alain Altahona, 12 Robert Tenório, 13 Nicolás Cantarutti, 14 Ariel Rodrigues, 15 Guilherme Coghetto
Replacements: 16 Brendon Alves, 17 Diego Vidal, 18 Joel Ramirez, 19 Lucio Anconetani, 20 Cleber Dias, 21 Felipe Gonçalves, 22 Lucas Spago, 23 Robson Morais
YACARE
1 Lucas Noguera Paz, 2 Emilio Gorostiaga, 3 Estefano Aranda, 4 Ignacio Martínez, 5 Mariano Garcete, 6 Felipe Villagrán, 7 Felipe Puertas, 8 Marcos Riquelme, 9 Ignacio Inchauspe (capt.), 10 Estanislao Gómez, 11 Juan González, 12 Sebastián Urbieta, 13 Ramiro Amarilla, 14 Federico Gauna, 15 Tomás Mac Call
Replacements: 16 Julián Martín, 17 Camilo Blasco, 18 Rolando Portillo, 19 Carlos Plate, 20 Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel, 21 Diego Miño, 22 Tomás Acosta Pimentel, 23 Federico Cacciabue
Date: Sunday, March 05
Kick-Off: 3pm (Brasília); 3pm (PY)
Venue: Estádio Nicolau Alayon, São Paulo
Referee: Nehuén Jauri Rivero (AR)
Assistant Referees: Mauro Rossi (AR); Víctor Barboza (BR)
TMO: Lucas Galán (AR)
HISTORIC RESULTS
2022-05-10 Cobras 36-25 Olímpia Lions (Montevideo, UY)
2022-04-02 – Olímpia Lions 42, Cobras 17 (Estadio 3 de Febrero, Ciudad del Este, PY)
2021-03-25 – Olímpia Lions 19, Cobras 15 (Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, UY)
2021-03-25 – Cobras 8, Olímpia Lions 44 (Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaiso, CL)
