Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Two big winners from week two will go head-to-head in round three of Super Rugby Americas 2024. Los Dogos will have home advantage against Yacare in the Saturday evening clash. A win for Los Dogos will cement the team at the top of the standings with Los Pampas watching on as the team with a bye this round.
Los Dogos have had almost everything their way thus far in the 2024 season. A crushing home win over the American Raptors was followed by a convincing win over Os Cobras. The outcome is a 2-0 record the far and a perfect 10 competition points.
Home advantage may be critical for Los Dogos. The Córdoba side will be without Efrain Elías, and Faustino Sánchez Valarolo; both of whom have been called-up by Los Pumitas. Argentina XV center Agustín Segura is also missing. Segura was ruled out through injury.
The team named to face Yacare sees the familiar tight-five. Santiago Pulella, Boris Wenger, and Octavio Filippa again start up front with Lautaro Simes, and Franco Molina locking the scrum. Molina will captain the side. He was named on Argentina’s roster for a three-day camp in London this month.
Molina is uncapped and is the only Super Rugby Americas player on Felipe Contepomi’s roster. Notwithstanding, there are some highly promising players in the league. Two examples are Agustin Moyano and Mateo Soler who start against Yacare at scrum-half and fullback respectively.
Yacare have played well but have a 1-1 season record thus far. The Paraguayan side was competitive at times against Los Pampas but fell to a sizable defeat. Yacare then spoiled Selknam’s debut by overcoming a half-time deficit to keep the Chileans scoreless in the second-half and come out bonus point winners.
Ricardo Le Fort’s team to take to the field in Córdoba will again be led by Axel Zapata from hooker. Other Argentines of note named to start include second-rower Lucio Anconetani, flankers Juan Cruz Perez and Felipe Puertas, scrum-half Juan Cruz Strada, fly half Joaquin Lamás, and fullback Juan Manuel Molinuevo.
The battle between Anconetani and Molina will be one of note to follow. Another will be that between Strada and Moyano. As a minimum they are Argentina XV contenders.
Le Fort has succeeded in having Paraguay compete well at the breakdown. If the team is able to perform well in this area against Los Dogos then a similar outcome to that against Selknam could very well eventuate.
The teams met twice in the Super Rugby Americas 2023 season. It was the inaugural season for the Córdoba side and the first for the Paraguayans since rebranding from the Olímpia Lions. The Córdoba side take a 2-0 record into game three between the teams.
DOGOS
1 Santiago Pulella, 2 Boris Wenger, 3 Octavio Filippa, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Franco Molina (capt.) 6 Ignacio Gandini, 7 Lorenzo Colidio, 8 Valentín Cabral, 9 Agustin Moyano, 10 Julián Hernández, 11 Ernesto Giudice, 12 Leonardo Gea Salim, 13 Felipe Mallia, 14 Lautaro Cipriani, 15 Mateo Soler
Replacements: 16 Tomás Bartolini, 17 Juan Aguirre, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Felipe Villagrán, 20 Aitor Bildosola, 21 Nicolás Viola, 22 Valentino Di Capua, 23 Nahuel Romero
YACARE
1 Ezequiel Reyes, 2 Axel Zapata (capt.), 3 Rolando Portillo, 4 Ignacio Martínez, 5 Lucio Anconetani, 6 Juan Cruz Perez, 7 Felipe Puertas, 8 Ramiro Parada, 9 Juan Cruz Strada, 10 Joaquin Lamás, 11 Juan González, 12 Ramiro Amarilla, 13 Tomás Vanni, 14 Thomas Mac Call, 15 Juan Manuel Molinuevo
Replacements 16 Ignacio Palillo Neri, 17 Daniel Cabral, 18 Estéfano Aranda, 19 Juan José Heisecke Schauman, 20 Ariel Núñez, 21 Diego Miño, 22 Sebastián Urbieta, 23 Arturo Lopez
Date: Saturday, March 02
Kick-Off: 8pm (AR); 8pm (PY)
Venue: Tala Rugby Club, Córdoba (AR)
Referee: Nehuén Jauri Rivero (AR)
Assistant Referees: Nicolás Cotic; Tomás Ninci
TMO: Gustavo Paulín
HISTORICAL RESULTS
May 13, 2023 – Yacare 29-45 Dogos (Asunción, PY)
Feb 17, 2023 – Dogos 30-24 Yacare (Córdoba, AR)
