Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Os Cobras play host to Peñarol on Sunday. The Brazilian side have home advantage as they go in search of their first win of Super Rugby Americas 2025. The assignment is tough as the two-time former champions from Uruguay arrive in Brazil as the competition leaders.
SUPER RUGBY AMERICAS 2025 –  COBRAS RESULTS |
SUPER RUGBY AMERICAS 2025 –  PEÑAROL RESULTS |
| LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 3 | Javier Coronel | Vicente Galvão |
| 5 | Hélder Lúcio | Gabriel Paganini |
| 6 | Rodrigo Santos | Manuel Todaro |
| 7 | Cleber Dias | Adrio de Melo |
| 8 | André Arruda | Rodolfo Martins |
| 9 | Felipe Gonçalves | Lucas Spago |
| 10 | Lucas Tranquez | Augusto Guillamondegui |
| 12 | Robert Tenório | Lorenzo Massari Temer |
| 14 | Daniel Lima | Nicolás Azevedo |
|
IN | OUT |
| 8 | Carlos Deus | Manuel Diana |
| 10 | Ícaro Amarillo | Felipe Etcheverry |
| 12 | Joaquín Suárez | Bautista Farisé |
| 13 | Bautista Farisé | Felipe Arcos Pérez |
| 14 | Ignacio Facciolo | Bautista Basso |
| 15 | Baltazar Amaya | Justo Ferrario |
| SUPER RUGBY AMERICAS DEBUTS |
(3) Franco Bertini, Juan Francisco Aguirre Gallardo, Bautista Viero
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(14) B Alves, EW Pinheiro, B Donald, H Lúcio, C Dias, A Arruda, F Gonçalves, L Tranquez, R Tenório, D Lima, J do Amaral, H Ferreira, A de Melo, L Massari Temer
(15) M Sanguinetti, G Pujadas, F Aliaga, S Civetta, L Bianchi, C Deus, Í Amarillo, JM Alonso, J Suárez, I Facciolo, B Amayo, J Myszka, M Perillo, S Álvarez, F Etcheverry
| NOTES |
- Flanker Cleber Dias is back to lead Os Cobras in place of center Lorenzo Massari Temer.
- Os Cobras won both Super Rugby Americas 2024 matches between the teams.
- Os Cobras are looking to win their first match of the season as well as to defeat Peñarol for the third time in succession.
- First-choice center Felipe Arcos Pérez is the latest Peñarol player to be sidelined through injury. Meanwhile, Baltazar Amaya returns from injury to start at fullback. This means there is no place for Justo Ferrario this week. Ferrario was the hero last week for Peñarol against Selknam.
- Argentine Tomás Di Biase starts again ahead of Santiago Álvarez at scrum-half. Álvarez was excellent in place of Santiago Arata for Uruguay on tour in November 2024.
- Twenty of Os Cobras’ 23 are Brazilian eligible. The three who are not are Argentines: Javier Coronel, Fernando Luna, Manuel Todaro.
- Notable youth among the Cobras 23 includes Renato Santos, Andrei Santana, Aquiles Schulter, Tiago Santos, Rodolfo Martins, and Rodrigo Santos.
- Uruguay’s 2024 u20’s captain Franco Bertini will debut for Peñarol as a replacement as will Argentines Juan Francisco Aguirre Gallardo and Bautista Viero
| PREDICTION |
The ongoing heatwave in São Paulo will not do Peñarol any favors. Nor will the early kick-off time. Os Cobras will be looking to their tactical strengths of a solid scrum and a lineout to maul attack. The visiting team will look to play with more innovation through play-makers at scrum-half, fly-half, and inside center in addition to excellent finishers in the back-three. Peñarol are favorites to win on the road.
| LINEUPS |
PENAROL
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 3 Bautista Vidal, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 5 Manuel Rosmarino, 6 Santiago Civetta (Capt.), 7 Lucas Bianchi, 8 Carlos Deus, 9 Tomás Di Biase, 10 Ícaro Amarillo, 11 Juan Manuel Alonso, 12 Joaquín Suárez, 13 Bauti Farisé, 14 Ignacio Facciolo, 15 Baltazar Amaya
Replacements: 16 Joaquín Myszka, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Juan Francisco Aguirre Gallardo, 19 Bautista Viero, 20 Franco Bertini, 21 Santiago Álvarez, 22 Felipe Etcheverry, 23 Alfonso Perillo Albarracin
COBRAS
1 Brendon Alves, 2 Endy Willian Pinheiro, 3 Javier Coronel, 4 Ben Donald, 5 Hélder Lúcio, 6 Renato Santos, 7 Cleber Dias, 8 André Arruda, 9 Felipe Gonçalves, 10 Lucas Tranquez, 11 Andrei Santana, 12 Robert Tenório, 13 Fernando Luna, 14 Daniel Lima, 15 João do Amaral
Replacements: 16 Henrique Ferreira, 17 Aquiles Schulter, 18 Tiago Santos, 19 Adrio de Melo, 20 Manuel Todado, 21 Rodolfo Martins, 22 Rodrigo Santos, 23 Lorenzo Massari Temer
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, March 16
Venue: Estádio Nicolau Alayon (São Paulo, BR)
Kickoff: 12:30pm (BR); 12:30pm (UY)
Weather Forecast: Rain; Wind 14km; 24°C
Broadcasts: ESPN; Disney +
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Mauro Rossi (AR)
Assistants: Juan Manuel Martínez (AR); Luca Saccomano (BR)
TMO: Maximiliano Miranda (AR)
| HEAD-TO-HEAD (9) Peñarol (7), Cobras (2); Streak: Cobras (2) |
Apr 12, 2024 – Peñarol 19-25 Cobras (Montevideo, UY)
Feb 16, 2024 – Cobras 15-13 Peñarol (Jacareí, BR)
May 13, 2023 – Cobras 15-38 Peñarol (Mogi das Cruzes, BR)
Mar 10, 2023 – Peñarol 33-07 Cobras (Montevideo, UY)
Apr 23, 2022 – Peñarol 40-3 Cobras (Montevideo, UY)
Mar 13, 2022 – Cobras 10-19 Peñarol (Valparaíso, CL)
Apr 16, 2021 – Peñarol 40-12 Cobras (Montevideo, CL)
Mar 16, 2021 – Cobras 24-33 Peñarol (Santiago, CL)
Feb 26, 2020 – Peñarol 45-14 Corinthians (Montevideo, UY)
