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French club Bayonne have signed Puma Mariano Galarza from Bayonne. The 32-year-old Argentine second-rower will join the Basque club on a two year deal beginning next season.
The move sees Galarza securing his playing future in Europe until 2021. He first played in Europe in 2010 for Leinster in the Pro 14, and has also played for Worcester and Gloucester in the English Premiership as well as his current home of Bordeaux in the Top 14.
At present Bayonne are in the Pro D2 but this may very well change. After 25 rounds of the season the club is in second position behind Oyonnax. An appearance in the play-off’s is highly likely with the possibility also being very real of qualifying for the Top 14 as the Pro D2 winner.
Bayonne will mark a new beginning for the veteran of RWCs 2011, and 2015. With the latest of his 26 caps coming last November Galarza is on course to debut for the Basque club following this year’s RWC in Japan.
In RWC 2015 Galarza joined Matiás Alemanno, Tomás Lavanini, and Guido Petti as Daniel Hourcade’s second-rowers. No other player has since been able to join the ranks with the closest being Marcos Kremer who has played at flanker even before rising from the u20s.
This was tightened recently with the sudden retirement of Manuel Carizza. In other words Galarza is a certainly for thew RWC so long as he is fit. This was underlined by appearing against France in November and also by being on Mario Ledesma’s list of players in contention for RWC spots from Europe.
