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Americas players are closing in on career milestones for country. A range of Americas players are chasing milestones and some will certainly reach them in 2025. This article identifies players to follow closely in 2025. Players from the six leading Americas rugby countries are identified noting which milestone they could all achieve in 2025.
| CHASING 50 CAPS |
Juan Martín González and Juan Cruz Mallía can reach 50 Pumas caps in 2025. The Saracens flanker has 40 caps and the Toulouse utility back has 42. Both men started in 8 of Argentina’s 12 test matches in 2024. Regular game-time for their country in 2025 will almost certainly see the men Mendoza and Córdoba reach 50 caps. Los Pumas will play thirteen test matches in 2025. The likelihood of them reaching 50 caps in 2025 is increased by the fact that, in addition to holding down a starting spot, both had matches as vice-captain in 2024.
Three Brazilians can reach the milestone of 50 test caps in 2025. Second-rower / flanker Cleber Dias is the closest to joining active test players Lucas Tranquez and Moisés Duque in the 50-cap club. Dias ended 2024 with 47 test caps to his name. N8 André Arruda has 44 caps while the versatile front-rower, Wilton Rebolo, who can play in all three positions has 40 caps. Brazil will have a busy 2024 but ten caps in one year is not common for Brazil.
José Ignacio Larenas Hitschfeld was the first Chilean two reach 50 caps. He did so playing for Los Cóndores against Argentina age Rugby World Cup 2023. The former captain retired from international duty in 2024. Chile’s captain at the World Cup, and until today, Martín Sigren is the next in line for 50 caps. 2025 is a year too soon though as Sigren ended 2024 on 38 caps.
Two Uruguayan players could conceivably reach 50 test caps in 2025. Their pathway is varied as N8 Manuel Diana, who has 47 test caps, is a regular in the 23 while front-rower Facundo Gattas, who has 42 caps was out of favor in 2024. Uruguay’s 2025 fixtures remains unconfirmed. There will be a mixture of Rugby World Cup Qualifiers outside of the mandatory player-release window and friendlies played in July and November. Ten fixtures is a realistic number with three home matches in July, three away in November and qualifiers against Paraguay and the winner of Brazil vs Chile in between.
Three USA Eagles players are closing-in on 50 test caps. The Eagles will compete in five matches in the Pacific Nations Cup as well as hosting July Internationals and playing subsequent matches in November. Ten fixtures is a plausible number and is happens to be the number needed for fly half AJ MacGinty to reach 50 caps. MacGinty ended 2024 on 40 caps. Scrum-half / Wing Nate Augspurger is very likely to reach 50 as he has 49 caps and center Bryce Campbell is very well-placed on 47 caps.
If Nate Augspurger places regularly for the USA in 2025 then he could end near the mark of 60 caps. If he reaches 57 caps then he will shoot up the all-time list of most capped Eagles. Mike Petri holds 6th spot with 57 caps. Former captains Chris Wyles and Blaine Scully were both capped 54 times while Paul Emerick and Dave Hodges earned 53 caps each. Emerick and Hodges are tied for 10th most capped Eagle of all-time.
| CHASING 75 CAPS |
Pumas enforcer Marcos Kremer is very close to the milestone of 75 test caps. The regular staring flanker started eight times for Argentina in 2024. He missed three matches due to injury but ended the year on 73 caps. If he plays in all thirteen matches for Argentina in 2025 then he end the year just four short of 90 caps. It is entirely reasonable; indeed, Kremer captained his country against Uruguay in 2024.
Veteran scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou has plenty yet to contribute to Los Pumas. Bertranou celebrated his 31st birthday on the final day of 2024. The year 2024 featured Bertranou starting eight of Los Pumas’ twelve test matches. He ended 2024 on 67 caps. With thirteen test matches set in stone for 2025, Bertranou is very well-placed to reach the mark of 75 test caps this year.
| CHASING 85 CAPS |
Two players are approaching the mark of 85 test caps in 2025. Both are South Americans, both have played in three Rugby World Cups and both have captained their country. Jerónimo de la Fuente reached 80 caps in July 2024. He did so against Uruguay before declaring he would be available for the Rugby Championship. He cited personal reasons, they were the birth of his second child. The Perpignan captain turns 34 in February.
Uruguay’s captain from Rugby World Cup 2023, Andrés Vilaseca, will also turn 34 this year. Vilaseca earned his 81st cap for Los Teros against Argentina in July 2024. He did not play again as he underwent surgery. The former Vannes mid-fielder has captained Uruguay on 24 occasions, this is the third most of all Teros. He is currently the fourth most capped Tero of all-time. His return for Uruguay will not only see him reaching 85 caps in 2025 but also overtaking Gastón Mieres who retired on 86 caps this past November.
| CHASING 100 CAPS |
32-year-old Mateo Sanguinetti is the most capped prop from the Americas. The Uruguayan ended 2024 on 90 test caps. This places him as the second most capped Tero of all-time. Will Uruguay’s unconfirmed schedule for 2025 contain ten or more matches? If the answer is yes than Sanguinetti will have a pathway to the milestone of 100 caps this year.
Three Argentine second-rowers are within striking range off 100 test caps. The trio were Los Pumas regular three second-rowers for a decade. The period included Rugby World Cups 2015, 2019 and 2023. Córdoba’s Matías Alemanno is two caps short. He earned his test cap 98th against Italy in Udine in November. It ended a quiet 2024. Be that as it may, the long 2025 international season has more than enough opportunities for Alemanno.
The soon to be 32-year-old, Tomás Lavanini ended 2024 on 91 test caps. He was not selected for the November Internationals but featured relatively busy for Los Pumas in the Rugby Championship where he started in two of Argentina’s six matches. Felipe Contepomi’s second-row selections in 2024 saw Franco Molina and Pedro Rubiolo playing the most rugby. Even if this continues in 2025, Lavanini will have the opportunity to play his 100th cap. The equation is to play in nine of the year’s thirteen test matches.
The task facing Lavanini is tough but it gets a lot harder for Guido Petti. The 30-year-old ended 2024 on 87 test caps. His road to 100 caps in 2025 thus requires him to play in every test match. He had three starts in the #4 jersey for Argentina in 2024, low by his historic numbers. Notwithstanding, he did miss the three July test matches due to Bordeaux reaching the Top 14 Final. If Petti can earn 10 caps for Argentina in 2025 then the mark of 100 would become very realistic for 2026.
So often Matías Moroni has answered the call for Argentina. In his first Rugby World Cup he started, and scored tries, playing on the wing and ant outside center. In 2024 he started in both positions as well as at inside center. Moroni finished the year on 89 caps. He earned 9 caps in 2024. He will need to earn 11 in 2205 to reach 100 caps. There is a pathway to 100, but like Petti, reaching 100 caps in 2026 is simpler.
| CHASING All-TIME NATIONAL APPEARANCE RECORDS |
2025 could see history made by Moisés Duque. The 36-year-old from São José dos Campos has 65 test caps for Os Tupis. This is easily the most of all the active Brazilian rugby players. Three players reached 50 caps for Brazil before he did, of them João Luiz da Ros has the most with 67 caps. With three appearances, Duque can move above the Manezinho / Florianopolitano in 2025.
Agustín Creevy returned from international duty during the 2024 Rugby Championship. Creevy earned 110 caps, making him the most capped Americas player of all-time. Creevy was the second Americas player to reach 100 caps after Uruguayan Diego Magno. Creevy overtook Magno’s record and Julián Montoya is on track to overtake both Creevy and Magno in 2025. Montoya earned his 100th cap in the record-setting win over Australia. He ended 2024 on 105 caps.
Nicolás Sánchez reached 100 caps in 2023 but did not play a test match in 2024. Montoya’s 105 caps see him approaching Diego Magno’s 107 but he is second to teammate Pablo Matera. The flanker has 109 caps. Two more appearances for Los Pumas will see Matera overtake Creevy’s record to become the most-capped Puma in history. It would also make him the most capped Americas player of all-time.
| CHASING All-TIME NATIONAL CAPTAINCY RECORDS |
Canadian Lucas Rumball is already a record-holder. No player has captained Canada in more test matches than has Rumball. The flanker from Markham, Ontario has led his country in 29 test matches. The changing of the guard may or may not see alterations to the captaincy in 2024. Rumball’s 29 caps as skipper account for 50% of his international duty; he has 58 test caps for Canada.
In addition to chasing the 110 test cap mark from his predecessor, Julián Montoya is also approaching the record number of matches by a Pumas captain. Montoya has led Argentina on 42 occasions; Creevy is the record holder with 51. Montoya could move to the top in 2025. If he is a constant in the team then he will do so. In addition to overtaking Creevy, Montoya can also overtake the second-placed Lisandro Arbizu who captained Los Pumas in 48 test matches.
| CHASING All-TIME NATIONAL SCORING RECORDS |
As noted above, veteran USA Eagles fly half AJ MacGinty is approaching 50 caps. This milestone may be one of two reached by MacGinty at some stage. The soon to be 35-year-old has 399 test points for the USA. This is 66 fewer than the record of 465 held by Mike Hercus. The former USA captain amassed 465 points in 48 caps. Not only could MacGinty overtake Hercus, he could do so in fewer test matches.
