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Yacare are ready for the upcoming Super Rugby Americas 2024 season. The campaign will see the Paraguayan side looking to repeat what was a successful campaign in 2023. The team proved competitive en route to reaching the Semi Finals.
Prior seasons also saw the Paraguayan side being competitive Playing as the Olímpia Lions, the team reached the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) Semi Finals in 2021. The solid season was not replicated in SLAR 2022 with Colombian side Los Cafeteros Pro reaching the final four instead. A commonality between these and the 2023 Yacare season was the high percentage of imported players from Argentina.
Click here to access the complete 2023 Yacare player roster.
Click here to access the Super Rugby Americas (SRA) home page.
SEASON OPENER
Yacare will have home advantage to get their season underway. Los Pampas will visit Paraguay on Saturday, February 17. The difficult assignment will be followed by a second home match the following weekend against Selknam. Yacare travel to Córdoba, Argentina to face Los Dogos in round three. This opening set of matches will require strong a showing from the Paraguayan side.
COACHING STAFF
Stability at Yacare sees Ricardo Augusto Le Fort again in charge. The Head Coach from Tucumán, Argentina is a former Puma. He earned 16 caps at hooker for Argentina from 1990-1995. This included test starts against Australia and Wales at Rugby World Cup 1991. Le Fort brings with him years of coaching experience with his work in the scrum being top class. He is a product of Tucumán RC.
RECRUITMENT
The roster includes players recruited from home and abroad. From home there are several Paraguayan youngsters who have been integrated. They include teenage backs Joaquín Mussi and Facundo Paiva. They will be supported by established starters such as lock Mariano Garcete, center Ramiro Amarilla, and wing Juan González. Amarilla is from Pay Ubre Club in Corrientes province in Argentina. Prop Enrique Quinteros is back from Major League Rugby. 20 players of the roster have played for Paraguay. Seven others have played for Paraguay u20’s.
IMPORTS
17 players on the roster are from Argentina. They include Arturo López who is capped by Paraguay. Others are expect to follow and very possibly this year. Add to the equation that Rugby World Cup expansion from 20 to 24 teams combined with Paraguay’s recent progress means one can dream more now than ever before.
Yacare have recruited Puma Ramiro Moyano. The 33-year-old has joined the Paraguayan franchise after spending last season in Colorado with the American Raptors. Second row Lucio Anconetani joins from Os Cobras, scrum-half Juan Cruz Strada from Los Dogos, and flyhalf Joaquín Lamas from Los Pampas. Hooker Axel Zapata has arrived from MLR in Houston, Texas.
A pair of Pumas 7s representatives arrive in flyhalf or fullback Juan Manuel Molinuevo and midfielder Tomás Vanni. Former Pumitas u20 N8 Nicolás Parada Heit recently lined up for the Sudamérica XV against Black Lion. He spent the past four years playing professionally in Spain.
POSSIBLE STARTING XV
1 Daniel Cabral
2 Axel Zapata
3 Enrique Quinteros
4 Lucio Anconetani
5 Mariano Garcete (capt.)
6 Juan Pérez Rachel
7 Felipe Puertas
8 Nicolás Parada Heit
9 Juan Cruz Strada
10 Joaquín Lamas
11 Juan González
12 Sebastián Urbieta
13 Ramiro Amarillo
14 Ramiro Moyano
15 Juan Manuel Molinuevo
