SRA 2024 – Raptors vs Peñarol – ARN Guide

The Mile High City will be the setting for a must-win Super Rugby Americas match. This Sunday it is the American Raptors up against Peñarol. The Coloradans are 6th while the reigning two-time defending champions are 5th

DEBUTANTS

– Micah Griffen
– Leonel Oviedo; Horacio de la Mota

LINEUP CHANGES

6 Shawn Clark replaces Mikey Grandy
7 Mo Vainikolo replaces Aidan Christians
10 Ignacio Mieres replaces Deveraux Ferris
11 Francisco Quinn switches wings.
15 Rufus McLean moves from 14; replaces Francisco Quinn

3 Mathias Franco replaces Santiago Martirene
5 Juan Manuel Rodríguez replaces Lucas Bianchi
7 Lucas Bianchi moves from lock; replaces Carlos Deus
8 Carlos Deus moves from flanker; replaces Manuel Diana
9 Pedro Hoblog replaces Santiago Álvarez

CAPPED INTERNATIONALS

(10) – D Fortuny (AR), D Magno (UY), D Ferris (US), I Mieres (AR), R McLean (GB – SCO)
(14) – M Sanguinetti, M Franco, JM Rodríguez, S Civetta, L Bianchi, C Deus, JA Zuccarino, JM Alonso, F Arcos Pérez, G Mieres, I Álvarez, M Perillo, F Aliaga, S Álvarez

NOTABLE ABSENTEES

– Aki Pulu
– Manuel Diana, Bautista Basso, Baltazar Amaya

NOTES

• Micah Griffen will make his Super Rugby Americas debut as a Raptors’ replacement.
• Pedro Hoblog has a first start; he replaces Teros cap Santiago Álvarez.
• Peñarol’s woeful scrum has seen the recruitment of two Argentines. Leonel Oviedo and Horacio de la Mota will both debut as replacements.
• Felipe Aliaga is set for his long-awaited return from injury. The World Cup star second-rower will make his first appearance of the 2024 season; doing so as a replacement.
• Peñarol have the best lineout in the league with an 83% season record.
• Peñarol captain Santiago Civetta has a 100% tackle completion rate.

LINEUPS

AMERICAN RAPTORS
1 Ma’ake Muti, 2 Diego Fortuny (capt.), 3 Facundo Pomponio, 4 Javon Camp-Villalovos, 5 Will Crawford, 6 Shawn Clark, 7 Mo Vainikolo, 8 Diego Magno, 9 Devereaux Ferris, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 11 Francisco Quinn, 12 Watson Filikitonga, 13 Tomi Morani, 14 Jacob Hidalgo, 15 Rufus McLean

Replacements: 16 Jackson Zabierek, 17 Clay Markoff, 18 Justus Tavai, 19 Mikey Grandy, 20 Tommy Clark, 21 John Lefevre, 22 Zach Hall, 23 Micah Griffen

PENAROL
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Francisco García, 3 Mathias Franco, 4 Manuel Rosmarino, 5 Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 6 Santiago Civetta (Capt.), 7 Lucas Bianchi, 8 Carlos Deus, 9 Pedro Hoblog, 10 Juan Andrés Zuccarino, 11 Dante Soto, 12 Juan Manuel Alonso, 13 Felipe Arcos Pérez, 14 Gastón Mieres, 15 Ignacio Álvarez

Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Horacio de la Mota, 19 Agustín Morales, 20 Felipe Aliaga, 21 Santiago Álvarez, 22 Ícaro Amarillo, 23 Joaquín Suárez

MATCH INFO

Date: Sunday, April 28
Kick-Off: 3pm (MST); 6pm (UY)
Venue: Infinity Park, Denver (CO)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Simón Larrubia (AR)
Assistant Referees: Katie Roth; Francisco González
TMO: Chris O’Malley

HEAD-TO-HEAD: 4. Raptors 0; Peñarol 4. Streak: Peñarol 4.

Mar 02, 2024 – Peñarol 37-07 American Raptors (Montevideo, UY)
Apr 30, 2023 – American Raptors 37-50 Peñarol (Denver, CO, US)
Feb 24, 2023 – Peñarol 28-19 American Raptors (Montevideo, UY)
Jun 18, 2022 – American Raptors 10-26 Peñarol (Denver, CO, US)