Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
A brand new fixture will take place in Asunción, Paraguay on Saturday. Yacare play host to Los Tarucas in a third round fixture of Super Rugby Americas 2025. The inaugural meeting between the sides sees both teams looking for a second win of the season.
Super Rugby Americas 2025 –  Yacare Results |
Super Rugby Americas 2025 –  Tarucas Results |
Week Two: Bye
| Super Rugby Americas Debutants |
– Benjamín Garrido; José Gianotti
| STARTING CHANGES |
– 1 Mariano Muntaner replaces Cesar Pérez
– 3 Rolando Portillo replaces Enzo Egea
– 4 Mariano Garcete swaps places with Lucas Sommer
– 5 Lucas Sommer swaps places with Mariano Garcete
– 13 Ramiro Amarilla replaces Francisco Diez
6 Facundo Cardozo swaps places with Facundo García Hamilton
7 Facundo García Hamilton swaps places with Facundo Cardozo
10 Ignacio Cerrutti replaces Nicolás Roger
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
– (12 capped by Paraguay) – R Portillo (TH), M Garcete (LO), A Nuñez (FL), J González (WI), S Urbieta (CE), R Amarilla (CE), J Chavez (HK), D Cabral (LH), JJ Heisecke (LO), G Bareiro (SH), F Paiva (FH), A López (WI)
– (1 capped by Argentina) Diego Fortuny (HK)
| NOTES |
- The fixture officially opens profession al rugby competition between teams based in Asunción, Paraguay and San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
- Paraguay and Tucumán have faced each other in numerous cross-border tournaments. Paraguay won in 2022 while Tucumán won in 2019.
- Both teams were winners in week one of the season. Los Tarucas won comfortably against Os Cobras while Yacare won a thriller against Selknam.
- Lautaro Bazán Vélez joining Los Pumas 7’s opens a vacancy for a new Pumas scrum-half in 2025. Super Rugby Americas suddenly has added importance. Juan Cruz Strada and Simón Benítez Cruz both have potential.
- Luciano Asevedo trained with Los Pumas in 2024.
- Juan Manuel Vivas, Luciano Asevedo, Agustín Sarelli, Álvaro García Iandolino and Tomás Medina were Pumitas in 2024.
- The match comes in the wake of controversy. Two unnamed Tarucas replacements from their round one match against Os Cobras racially abused Brazilian players.
| PREDICTION |
The big Tarucas pack sent a warning to all teams in their opening match. Their brand of old-fashioned, classic Tucumán rugby crafted opportunities and the forwards turned them into points. Yacare’s pack will need to defend well as a unit in the set-piece. Asunción is going to be an uncomfortable location. With 37°C forecast, the rugby ought not be the most expansive or beautiful ever played. Those attending the match at the Héroes de Curupayty are advised to drink plenty of water. Los Tarucas are favorites to win on the road.
| LINEUPS |
YACARE
1 Mariano Muntaner, 2 Axel Zapata, 3 Rolando Portillo, 4 Mariano Garcete (capt.), 5 Lucas Sommer, 6 Ariel Nuñez, 7 Felipe Puertas, 8 Santiago Ruíz, 9 Juan Cruz Strada, 10 Joaquín Lamas, 11 Juan González, 12 Sebastián Urbieta, 13 Ramiro Amarilla, 14 Julián Quetglas, 15 Valentido di Capua
Replacements: 16 Jordi Chávez, 17 Daniel Cabral, 18 Enzo Egea, 19 Juan José Heisecke, 20 Ramiro Parada, 21 Gonzalo Bareiro, 22 Facundo Paiva, 23 Arturo López
1 Julián Martín, 2 Juan Manuel Vivas, 3 Francisco Moreno, 4 Mariano Perondi, 5 Luciano Asevedo, 6 Facundo Cardozo, 7 Facundo García Hamilton, 8 Santiago Aguilar (capt.), 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 10 Ignacio Cerrutti, 11 Tomás Vanni, 12 Tomás Medina, 13 Bautista Estofan, 14 Baltazar García, 15 Stefano Ferro
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Benjamín Garrido, 18 Agustín Iglesias, 19 Álvaro García Iandolino, 20 Agustín Sarelli, 21 Estanislao Pregot, 22 Nicolás Macome, 23 José Gianotti
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, March 01
Venue: Héroes de Curupayty, Asunción (PY)
Kickoff: 8pm (PY); 8pm (AR)
Weather Forecast: Excessive Heat, 37°C; Wind 10 km/h
Broadcasts: ESPN; Disney +
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Pablo Deluca (AR)
Assistants: Frank Méndez (CL); Sergio Alvarenga (PY)
TMO: Maximiliano Miranda (AR)
| HISTORY |
No prior fixtures.
