Americas Super Rugby Players for teams other than Jaguares

On Friday history will be made when Los Jaguares become the first fully professional rugby team in the history of the Americas. The Argentine Super Rugby franchise will begin their campaign with an away fixture against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

All of those taking the field for Los Jaguares are to be Argentine nationals. All players were born and raised in the country which is to, in effect, act as a direct trade to that of the past when foreign leagues had large numbers of Pumas players. In 2007  there were 60 Argentine players plying their trade in both France and Italy.

Los Jaguares’ roster is to have a total number of 45 players. Of them some will come and go with other commitments seeing them being rotated. Contemporary instances being the Americas Rugby Championship and the Las Vegas and Vancouver Sevens.

The final number of Argentine players involved in the 2016 Super Rugby campaign will only be known when the final match has been played. The number itself is to be influenced by other teams as there are two Pumas playing for Super Rugby teams other than Los Jaguares this season – Tomás Cubelli and Tomás Leonardí.

The two Tomás’ from Buenos Aires are to be joined by a third non-Jaguares player in the Americas contingent in the form of Andrew Durutalo. The number one Eagles openside flanker will be a teammate of Leonardí at the Tokyo based Sunwolves franchise.

With Cubelli playing for the Brumbies there are to be Americas players in three of the 18 franchises in Super Rugby this season. Durutalo will be the second player from the USA to play in the competition while Leonardí will be playing for a second country’s franchise.

Of the 18 teams 9 of them have had players from the Americas past or present. The complete record is documented below.

* Played New Zealand Cup or Currie Cup for the relevant team.
* Jaguares second-rower Tomás Lavanini trained with the Chiefs.