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Round four of Super Rugby Americas kicks-off in Córdoba. In the first of a Friday night double, Los Dogos have home advantage against Selknam. The Córdoba vs Santiago match-up will be followed by Peñarol facing Os Cobras in Montevideo later on in the evening.
Both Los Dogos and Selknam have played good rugby so far in Super Rugby Americas 2023. Los Dogos are top of the table after three rounds and have a 2-1 record. They fell to a home defeat against Peñarol in round three in what was a thriller.
In looking to return to winning ways against Selknam, Dogos Head Coach Nicolás Galatro has made changes. Among them are former Cafeteros Pro second-rower, Lautaro Simes. He will make his Super Rugby Americas debut alongside captain Franco Molina.
Additional changes see fellow former Cafeteros Pro players involved. Juan Bautista Mernes starts at N8 and Franco Giudice will play fullback. Mernes forms a highly promising back-row trio alongside Ignacio Gandini and Efraín Elías.
They will have the talented halves duo feeding off them; Agustín Moyano, and Julián Hernández start at scrum-half and fly half. Mateo Soler, Ernesto Giudice and Franco Giudice will all add finishing options and be focused on their Chilean opponents.
Of the replacements there will be opportunities for new blood. Universitario de Rosario second-rower Manuel Todaro and Club Jockey de Córdoba center Felipe Mallía will have opportunities.
Selknam had a bye in round three. The Chileans were dominant in round one when they completed a big win over the American Raptors. They also impressed in round two against Los Pampas. Both matches were home games.
Unlike in the prior rounds, Selknam’s match against Los Dogos is on the road. The first road fixture for the Chileans sees Santiago Videla captaining a strong side. He will do so from inside center in a back-line featuring play-makers in three positions. They are Rodrigo Fernández at fly half, Francisco Urroz at fullback and the captain himself.
Benjamín Videla will have another opportunity to impress at scrum-half as will Gaspar Moltedo on the left wing. José arenas plays out of position on the right wing. He plays center, though with Selknam strong in this area he will have a start outwide.
The forwards contain the powerful front-row of Javier Carrasco, Tomás Dussaillant, and Iñaki Gurruchaga. A powerful scrum is assured with Santiago Pedrero, and Javier Eissmann forming the second-row and Clemente Saavedra playing flanker. Veteran Ignacio Silva will play on the other flank and the powerful Raimundo Martínez starts at N8.
The replacements bench contains many notable players. Major League Rugby 2022 player Augusto Bohme will be the replacement hooker and Thomas Orchard covers lock and flanker. The most notable though sees Domingo Escobar back for the first time since a serious injury in SLAR 2022. The center is back in time to be ready foe World Cup selection.
Friday’s match is officially the first meeting between the teams. Notwithstanding, Córdoba’s team from the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) previously faced Selknam in Chile. Los Ceibos were 32-16 winners in the 2020 fixture.
TEAMS
DOGOS
1 Santiago Pulella, 2 Boris Wenger, 3 Octavio Filippa, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Franco Molina, 6 Ignacio Gandini, 7 Efraín Elías, 8 Juan Bautista Mernes, 9 Agustín Moyano, 10 Julián Hernández, 11 Ernesto Giudice Blanquer, 12 Leonardo Gea Salim, 13 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 14 Mateo Soler, 15 Franco Giudice
Replacements: 16 Román Pretz, 17 Tomás Bartolini, 18 Ramiro Valdes Iribarren, 19 Gregorio Hernández, 20 Manuel Todaro, 21 Juan Cruz Strada, 22 Juan Bautista Baronio, 23 Felipe Mallía
SELKNAM
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Tomás Dussaillant, 3 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 4 Santiago Pedrero, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Clemente Saavedra, 7 Ignacio Silva, 8 Raimundo Martínez, 9 Benjamín Videla, 10 Rodrigo Fernández, 11 Gaspar Moltedo, 12 Santiago Videla (capt.), 13 Matías Garafulic, 14 José Larenas, 15 Francisco Urroz
Replacements: 16 Augusto Bohme, 17 Lues Salvador, 18 Lucas Bordigoni, 19 Thomas Orchard, 20 Bruno Sáez, 21 Lukas Carvallo, 22 Domingo Saavedra, 23 Diego Escobar
Date: Friday, March 10
Kick-Off: 7pm (AR); 6pm (CL)
Venue: Tala Rugby Club, Córdoba
Referee: Pablo Deluca (AR)
Assistant Referees: Federico Longobardi (AR); Juan Pablo Chumbita (AR)
TMO: Lucas Galán (AR)
HISTORIC RESULTS
March 14, 2020 – Selknam 32-16 Ceibos (Santiago, CL)
