Uruguayan fullback Baltazar Amaya is finalizing a deal to play in the Top 14. French club Vannes are recruiting the South American who recently competed at the Paris Olympic Games. Rugby Rama report that the Uruguayan is presently with the club in Morbihan.
France could be set to rediscover Amaya. The Uruguayan was a try-scorer against France at Rugby World Cup 2023. Now aged 25, Amaya is on the verge of signing for Vannes for the 2024-2025 Top 14 season.
Vannes won promotion to the Top 14 this season. The club were crowned Pro D2 champion last season. Uruguayan center and captain Andrés Vilsacea was involved. He is no longer at the club. The team’s captain is former Puma Francisco Gorrissen while Juan Bautista Pedemonte earned his first cap for Argentina in July.
Vannes have recruted former Pumas tight head Santiago Medrano for the new season as well as Chilean center / fullback Iñaki Ayarza. The South American Tri-Nations will thereby be together with Amaya at the club. This will also continue Uruguay presence at Vannes following Vilsasca’s involvement a well as that of Nicolás Freitas.
Freitas and Amaya were both try-scorers at Rugby World Cup 2023. Amaya became the first Tero to score three World Cup tries. He surpassed Alfonso Cardoso who scored against Spain in 1999 and Georgia in 2003 and Pablo Lemoine who scored against England and Samoa in 2003. Freitas scored again France and Italy in 2023.