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A pivotal match of Super Rugby Americas 2023 will take place in Asunción, Paraguay on Saturday. Yacare play host to Los Dogos in a Paraguayan vs Argentine showdown. It is 4th vs 2nd with the home side needing points to remain on track for the Semi Finals. The visitors are in search of points to secure a home Semi Final.
Yacare have named their strongest line-up. It includes a formidable front-row of Mariano Muntaner, Facundo Pomponio and Puma Lucas Noguera Paz. Lucas Sommer joins Paraguay’s best forward Mariano Garcete in the second-row. Regular names Felipe Vilagrán, Felipe Puertas and Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel round out the starting forwards.
The Paraguayan side will again be captained by Ignacio Inchauspe. Performances suggest that the Argentina XV scrum-half may be in the conversation for international duty this year. Dual play-makers start outside him with Federico Cacciabue and Sebastián Urbieta.
Nacares backs also have speed and finishers in Juan González, Arturo López, Ramiro Amarilla, and Estanislao Gómez. Colombia’s Juan David Agudelo will be looking for game-time from the bench.
Having already secured a spot in the Semi Finals Los Dogos are now able to rotate in confidence. Doing so requires care, however, as the team intends on playing at home in Córdoba. The line-up named to play in Asunción features five alterations to that which faced Los Pampas last weekend.
Up front Román Pretz will start at hooker and Juan Bautista Mernes has been selected at N8. Pretz will join Tomás Bartolini and Octavio Ignacio Filippa in the front-row. The in-form Lautaro Simes starts again in the second-row alongside Gregorio Hernández while Mernes joins Aitor Bildosola and captain Ignacio Gandini in the back-row.
The three remaining changes to the starting formation come in the backs. Juan Cruz Strada and Juan Bautista Baronio start at scrum-half and fly half respectively. Faustino Sánchez Valarolo will play in the mid-field.
Los Dogos have an impressive bench. Agustín Moyano, Julián Hernández, and Leonardo Gea Salim have been regular starting backs as has Efraín Elias at flanker. All will be in the frame for the Argentina XV against Chile, Namibia and Uruguay this year.
YACARE
1 Lucas Noguera Paz, 2 Mariano Muntaner, 3 Facundo Pomponio, 4 Lucas Sommer, 5 Mariano Garcete, 6 Felipe Vilagrán, 7 Felipe Puertas, 8 Juan Cruz Pérez Rachel, 9 Ignacio Inchauspe (capt.), 10 Federico Cacciabue, 11 Juan González, 12 Sebastián Urbieta, 13 Ramiro Amarilla, 14 Arturo López, 15 Estanislao Gómez
Replacements: 16 Emilio Gorostiaga, 17 Julián Martín, 18 Rolando Portillo, 19 Ignacio Martínez, 20 Marcos Riquelme, 21 Estanislao Pregot, 22 Juan David Agudelo, 23 Gianfranco Parodi
DOGOS
1 Tomás Bartolini, 2 Román Pretz, 3 Octavio Ignacio Filippa, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Gregorio Hernández, 6 Aitor Bildosola, 7 Ignacio Gandini (capt.), 8 Juan Bautista Mernes, 9 Juan Cruz Strada, 10 Juan Bautista Baronio, 11 Ernesto Giudice, 12 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 13 Agustín Segura, 14 Lautaro Cipriani, 15 Mateo Soler
Replacements: 16 Boris Wenger, 17 Francisco Palazzi, 18 Ramiro Valdés Iribarren, 19 Efraín Elias, 20 Valentín Cabral, 21 Agustín Moyano, 22 Julián Hernández, 23 Leonardo Gea Salim
Date: Saturday, May 13
Kick-Off: 7pm (PY); 8pm (AR)
Venue: Héroes de Curupayty (Asunción, PY)
Referee: Damián Schneider (AR)
Assistant Referees: Federico Solari (AR); Sergio Alvarenga (PY)
TMO: Víctor Silveiro (BR)
HISTORIC RESULTS
February 17, 2023 – Dogos 30-24 Yacare (Córdoba, AR)
