Los Dogos got the better of Los Pampas in a Super Rugby Americas pre-season hit-out in Buenos Aires on Friday. The Córdoba side were 38-21 winners. The match was the professional coaching debut for former Puma Juan Manuel Leguizamón. He took over Los Pampas from Rugby World Cup 2007 teammate Ignacio Fernández Lobbe.
Los Dogos are coached by Nicolás Galatro. He played for Argentine clubs Olivos in Buenos Aires and Duendes in Rosario. He played in Italy from 2002-2011 for Lazio, Amatori Catania, and Petraca. He captained Petrarca to the Italian championship in 2011.
Galatro then returned to Argentina where he joined Duendes. He moved to the Rosario club as his Bárbara Imhoff, is from there. Bárbara Imhoff is Juan Imhoff’s sister. Imhoff played alongside Leguiamón at Rugby World Cups 2011 and 2015. In short, there are deep roots in traditional Argentine clubs and strong ties to Los Pumas in the Pampas and Dogos coaches.
Los Dogos had the upper hand early-on. Hooker Boris Wegner crossed for a try which served as a reminder of his power. The destructive ball-carrier is one of a number of uncapped Argentine hookers who may be on the radar for international duty in the coming years.
Los Pampas responded through Santiago Pernas. The wingers try was converted by fly half Joaquín De la Vega Mendía. The Argentina XV is playing his final season of Super Rugby Americas. He will move to France to play in the Pro D2 starting in the middle of the year.
Los Dogos reclaimed the lead and never looked back. A penalty try and a score to center Agustín Segura saw them ahead 19-7 at half-time.
The second-half did not start well for Los Pampas. Flanker Nicolas D’Amorin was yellow carded. Los Dogos took the initiative to send promising fullback Mateo Soler over. Replacement fly half Juan Baronio converted. Jerónimo Ulloa responded for the home side with Manuel Nogues landing the conversion.
Further discipline concerns occurred. Lorenzo Colidio received a second yellow card to be red carded. This meant Los Dogos played with 14 men for the final 30 minutes of the match. It mattered not as Facundo García Hamilton added a try for the Córdoba side. Los Pampas scored a late try through Tomás Rapetti which Marcos Eliçagaray converted.
PAMPAS (21)
Try – Santiago Pernas, Jerónimo Ulloa, Tomás Rapetti
Con – Joaquín De La Vega Mendía, Manuel Nogués, Marcos Eliçagaray
DOGOS (38)
Try – Boris Wenger, Penalty Try (2) Agustín Segura, Mateo Soler, Facundo García Hamilton
Con – Julián Hernández, Juan Baronio
PAMPAS
1 Matias Medrano,2 Marcos Camerlinckx, 3 Estanislado Carullo, 4 Mateo Lorenzo, 5 Marcelo Toledo, 6 Manuel Bernstein (capt.), 7 Eliseo Chiavassa, 8 Joaquín Moro, 9 Ignacio Inchauspe, 10 Joaquín De La Vega Mendía, 11 Timoteo Silva, 12 Bruno Heit, 13 Juan Pablo Castro, 14 Santiago Pernas, 15 Bernabé López Fleming
Replacements: Javier Corvalán, Nahuel Zunini, Estanislao Rodríguez, Juan Manuel Vivas, Javier Coronel, Tomás Rapetti, Álvaro García Iandolino, Luciano Asevedo, Santiago Montagner, Ignacio Torrado, Nicolas D’Amorim, Tomás Bernasconi, Juan Pedro Bernasconi, Tomás Di Biase, Manuel Nogues, Jerónimo Ulloa, Justo Piccardo, Benjamín Elizalde, Mateo Fossati, Marcos Elicagaray
DOGOS
1 Santiago Pulella, 2 Boris Wegner, 3 Octavio Filippa, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Franco Molina (capt.), 6 Aitor Bildosa, 7 Ignacio Gandini, 8 Efraín Elías, 9 Agustín Moyano, 10 Julián Hernández, 11 Ernesto Giudice, 12 Leo Gea Salim, 13 Agustín Segura, 14 Lautaro Cipriani, 15 Mateo Soler
Replacements: Tomás Bartolini, Mateo Nunez, Pedro Delgado, Grego Hernández, Lorenzo Colidio, Nicolás Viola, Juan Baronio, Faustino Sánchez, Diego Correa, Octavio Barbatti, Felipe Villagrán, Valentín Cabral, Facundo García, Valentino Di Cacpua, Felipe Mallía, Nahuel Romero, Agustín De Vertiz