Juan Manuel Leguizamón’s roster has been confirmed for Super Rugby Americas 2025. The Buenos Aires side, Los Pampas, is one of three Argentine franchises in the South American professional league. Leguizamón’s roster contains a combination of youth and experience; there are three Pumas in addition to many to have played for Los Pumitas.
Los Pampas will sit out the opening round of Super Rugby Americas 2025. It will be a bye for the Argentine capital city side. The debut will be a tough assignment as Los Pampas take-on the reigning Super Rugby Americas champions, Los Dogos in Córdoba on Saturday, February 22.
PAMPAS WITH ARGENTINE CAPS |
Los Pampas have three capped Pumas on their roster for Super Rugby Americas 2025. Two of the three made their test debuts for Argentina in 2024. N8 Joaquín Moro debuted against Uruguay in Punta del Este while inside center Justo Piccardo debuted against Ireland in Dublin. Both Moro and Piccardo were regulars for Los Pumas in the 2024 campaign. Their test debuts is an indication of the possibilities for players with Super Rugby Americas providing a production line.
The 2025 roster will again contain Eliseo Morales. The scrum-half made his test debut against Wales in November 2022. Injury complications eroded Morales’ chances for additional caps in 2023. Fellow Pampas scrum-half Ignacio Inchauspe tried with Los Pumas in 2024. He is uncapped.
Felipe Contepomi’s rosters changed throughout 2024. In addition to Inchauspe being called-in there were also times in which flanker Nicolás D’Amorim and winger Santiago Pernas were on the Argentine roster. The former trined with the roster in July and the latter in November.
PAMPAS RECRUITMENT |
Los Pampas will notably be without Joaquín de la Vega Mendía in 2024. The stand-out fly half from previous editions of Super Rugby Americas now plays his rugby in France for Colomiers. Two recruits arrive in his place. Francisco Quinn joins from the now defunct American Raptors while Estanislao Renthel will be a Super Rugby Americas 2025 rookie.
Quinn is not the only player joins Los Pampas from a rival Super Rugby Americas competitor. Second-rower Franco Carrera returns to Argentina from Os Cobras, flanker Juan Pérez Rachel is back from Yacare in Paraguay and second-rower Marcelo Toledo joins the Buenos Aires side from Los Dogos.
Carrera and Toledo are 50% of the second-rowers. The others are rookie Leo Mazzini and the returning Federico Lavanini. The now 26-year-old Federico Lavanini is the brother of the 91-time capped Puma Tomás Lavanini.
There are thirteen rookies on the roster. They bring with them a heavy representation of Buenos Aires’ rugby clubs. Examples of players going from URBA to Pampas include Bautista Bosch (Newman), Francisco Lusarreta (Belgrano),Tomás Rapetti (Alumni), Francisco González Capdevila (SIC), Leo Mazzini (CASI) and Alfonso Latorre (BACRC)
Such is the rugby system in Buenos Aires, that players look for opportunities by moving to play for URBA clubs. Joaquín Moro did so and made the jump to Los Pumas in 2024. Like Moro, Lusarreta is from Bahía Blanca.
Also of note is the recruitment from Los Pumitas. Flankers Juan Penoucos and Juan Pedro Bernasconi both had outstanding years for Argentina at u20 level in 2024 as did tight head prop Tomás Rapetti.
PAMPAS ROSTER – SUPER RUGBY AMERICAS 2025 |
LOOSE HEAD PROP
Javier Corvalán
Matías Medrano
Miguel Angel Prince
HOOKER
Ignacio Bottazzini
Ramiro Gurovich
Francisco Lusarreta
TIGHT HEAD PROP
Bautista Bosch
Facundo Nigro
Tomás Rapetti
SECOND-ROW
Franco Carrera
Federico Lavanini
Leo Mazzini
Marcelo Toledo
FLANKER
Juan Pedro Bernasconi
Manuel Bernstein
Nicolás D’Amorim
Juan Penoucos
Juan Pérez Rachel
N8
Joaquín Moro
SCRUM-HALF
Mateo Albanese
Ignacio Inchauspe
Eliseo Morales
FLY HALF
Estanislao Renthel
CENTER
Juan Pablo Castro
Bruno Heit
Justo Piccardo
Jerónimo Solveyra
WING
Alfonso Latorre
Santiago Pernas
Jerónimo Ulloa
FULLBACK
Francisco González Capdevila
Francisco Quinn