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2024 is a new beginning for Peñarol. The two-time reigning Super Rugby Americas champions start the Rugby World Cup 2023-2027 cycle with plenty of fresh faces on the roster. As was the case in prior campaigns, the South American league will be vital to Los Teros. However, this time the season begins with Uruguay’s Head Coaching position remaining vacant.
The URU made the decision to prioritize Super Rugby Americas in 2023. This saw reduced time for Esteban Meneses with Los Teros prior to the World Cup. He feels that it may have had an impact on the preparations; notably against Italy. Be that as it may Uruguay’s campaign was a success in France.
Changes to the roster and coaching staff mean Peñarol will be highly different in Super Rugby Americas 2024. Will this affect the level of play or will the Uruguayans continue to be the benchmark for others in the league?
Click here to access the complete 2024 Peñarol player roster.
Click here to access the Super Rugby Americas home page.
SEASON OPENER
Peñarol will open their season on the road against Os Cobras on February 17. It will be a relatively long trip to the Estádio Du Cambuzano in Jacareí near São Paulo. Peñarol then return to Montevideo to face the Raptors in the second round. These two fixtures could be described as soft season openers given they were the bottom two sides in 2023. Peñarol travel to Chile to face Selknam in round three before hosting Yacare in round four on March 15.
COACHING STAFF
Pablo Bouza has left his post and is now the Head Coach of Spain. Peñarol have replaced him with a new coach; Leonardo Senatore makes the step up from assistant at the Raptors in 2023 to Head Coach of the reigning champions. Senatore truly left his mark as a player. The product of Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario (GER) played for Argentina at junior level, Los Pumas 7’s, Argentina XV and won 50 caps for Los Pumas. He played in two Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals and one Semi Final. The N8 played in France for Toulon and in England for Worcester before returning to Argentina to play Super Rugby for Los Jaguares.
RECRUITMENT
The roster received a boost with second-rower Felipe Aliaga remaining. He was to join New York to play in Major League Rugby. With Ignacio Dotti and Eric Dosantos gone, Aliaga’s inclusion looms as vital. Prop has taken a hit with Diego Arbelo, Ignacio Péculo, and Reinaldo Piussi now abroad Matías Benítez having retired. Meanwhile, both hookers are newcomers in Joaquín Myszka and Francisco García. They arrive from Uruguay u20’s. This has occurred with Uruguay’s three Wold Cup hookers now all playing abroad.
An area os force for Peñarol is the back-rower Manuel Rosmarino is an exciting addition and one to look out for. He joins the likes of Manuel Diana, Carlos Deus, Lucas Bianchi and new captain Santiago Civetta. Bautista Basso, Guillermo Lijtenstein, Diego Ardao, Felipe Arcos Pérez, Baltazar Amaya, Mateo Viñals, and Ignacio Facciolo have all made the move to Peñarol following World Rugby’s downsizing of Rugby Sevens. They add particular depth at center and in the back-three to more than make-up for 2023 players who are missing for 2024.
IMPORTS
Every player on the roster is Uruguay-eligible, with all but one boasting recent international experience of some kind. In welcoming in the sevens players the squad is heavily populated by outside backs, but the forwards are not as well covered with only two specialist hookers named. Santiago Cagnone has joined from Argentina. He is the only player who is not homegrown. Baltazar Amaya, who impressed so much at the World Cup, was also born in Argentina. He moved to Uruguay at the age of 8.
POSSIBLE STARTING XV
1 Mateo Sanguinetti
2 Joaquín Myszka
3 Mathias Franco
4 Felipa Aliaga
5 Agustín Morales
6 Lucas Bianchi
7 Santiago Civetta (capt.)
8 Carlos Deus
9 Santiago Álvarez
10 Juan Zuccarino
11 Ignacio Facciolo
12 Juan Manuel Alonso
13 Felipe Arcos Pérez
14 Bautista Basso
15 Baltazar Amaya
