Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The July 2022 Internationals will be a fresh page for Argentina. Los Pumas will be under the command of Michael Cheika. The Australian is proven to be an excellent coach; he took Australia to the Rugby World Cup Final in 2015 and won the URC and European Champions Cup with Leinster.
Cheika worked with Mario Ledesma; yet, they are very different in terms of what they bring to Argentina. Ledesma was an insider, a man who played in four Rugby World Cups for Los Pumas and had a very long professional career abroad. Cheika’s resumé is coach-centric and he takes over as a outsider.
The last time Argentina was coached by a foreigner was in 1999. Alex Wyllie took over in time to take Argentina to the Rugby World Cup where they famously eliminated Ireland to reach the Quarter Finals for the first time.
Knowing the ins and the outs of Argentina rugby was part of Ledesma’s job. It is not part of Cheika’s. The significance of this is immense. Moreover, Cheika does not speak Spanish. His assistants, who remain unconfirmed, will provide the translation. They will also be the experts in local matters and will be responsible for working with the local authorities.
During the online press conference interview which followed his appointment, Cheika’s comments made it clear that he will be focusing on the rugby. He noted himself that he is tasked with getting the basics right to find the means in which the players and team can use their energy appropriately.
He wants the players to be hungry to play their first home test match since 2019. He is approaching this by not looking at what went wrong but by looking forward by solidifying the basics of a strong set-piece.
Player selection was also addressed with questions asked including whether Santiago Carreras is to continue at fly half and if Agustín Creevy will be back following his non-selection in 2020 and 2021. Answers given to these and other questions noted that all players will be considered. They include players from elite leagues in Europe as well as second divisions and professional rugby in general.
All Argentine rugby players are now under the Michael Cheika Radar. Confirmed is that Cheika is looking at a roster of 31 to 33 players for July. Early indications are that there will be minor rotation in July to enable rest for some players ahead of the most demanding annual competition, the Rugby Championship.
The radar is not starting from scratch; Cheika’s prior involvement gives him more than a solid platform to start analyzing the player pool. Considering his selections when in charge of the Wallabies a team is expected to be crafted that can do what he did at RWC 2015 – beat England in the pool.
Listed below are names deemed very likely to be under Cheika’s radar. They cover all positions, but vary in terms of quantity. At least one player per position is included from SLAR. This is intentional as Cheika will be watching the matches and SLAR 2020 and 2021 produced players for Los Pumas.
LOOSE HEAD PROP
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Ignacio Calles | Pau (FR) | 2 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Javier Corvalán | Cafeteros Pro (CO) | – | – |
| Thomas Gallo | Benetton (IT) | 4 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Santiago García Botta | Harlequins (UK) | 33 | 2018 vs Scotland at Edinburgh |
| Facundo Gigena | London Irish (UK) | 7 | 2021 vs Australia at Townsville |
| Rodrigo Martínez | Wasps (UK) | 3 | 2021 vs France at Paris |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | Benetton (IT) | 67 | 2021 vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth |
| Mayco Vivas | Jaguares XV | 12 | 2020 vs Australia at Sydney |
| Federico Wegrzyn | Provence (FR) | – | – |
HOOKER
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Bautista Bernasconi | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Facundo Bosch | La Rochelle (FR) | 12 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Agustín Creevy | London Irish (UK) | 89 | 2019 vs USA at Kumagaya |
| Pablo Dimcheff | Mont de Marsan (FR) | – | – |
| Julián Montoya | Leicester Tigers (UK) | 75 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Santiago Socino | Gloucester (UK) | 4 | 2021 vs Australia at Townsville |
| Nicolás Toth | Provence (FR) | – | – |
TIGHT HEAD PROP
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Eduardo Bello | Zebre (IT) | 2 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Javier Coronel | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Francisco Gómez Kodela | Lyon (FR) | 21 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Santiago Medrano | Western Force (AU) | 27 | 2021 vs Italy at Treviso |
| Enrique Pieretto | Glasgow Warriors (UK) | 25 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Joel Sclavi | La Rochelle (FR) | – | – |
| Lucio Sordoni | Mont de Marsan (FR) | 3 | 2020 vs New Zealand at Newcastle |
SECOND-ROW
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Matías Alemanno | Gloucester (UK) | 73 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Rodrigo Fernández Criado | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Federico Gutiérrez | Albi (FR) | – | – |
| Marcos Kremer | Stade Français (FR) | 44 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Tomás Lavanini | Clermont (FR) | 68 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Nahuel Milan | Peñarol (UY) | – | – |
| Franco Molina | Selknam (CL) | – | – |
| Lucas Paulos | Brive (FR) | 5 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Guido Petti | Bordeaux (FR) | 66 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Pedro Rubiolo | Jaguares XV | – | – |
FLANKER
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Tomás de la Vega | Toronto Arrows (CA) | 12 | 2014 vs Scotland at Córdoba |
| Jerónimo Gómez Vara | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Juan Martín González | London Irish (UK) | 8 | 2021 vs Italy at Treviso |
| Francisco Gorrissen | Vannes (FR) | 2 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Santiago Grondona | Exeter Chiefs (UK) | 6 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Tomás Lezana | Scarlets (UK) | 39 | 2021 vs New Zealand at Brisbane |
| Pablo Matera | Crusaders (NZ) | 80 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
N8
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Rodrigo Bruni | Vannes (FR) | 14 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Facundo Isa | Toulon (FR) | 37 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Joaquín Oviedo | Perpignan (FR) | 1 | 2021 vs Australia at Townsville |
| Bautista Pedemonte | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Mariano Romanini | Olímpia Lions (PY) | – | – |
SCRUM-HALF
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Gonzalo Bertranou | Dragons (UK) | 37 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Tomás Cubelli | Biarritz (FR) | 82 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Felipe Ezcurra | Grenoble (FR) | 15 | 2021 vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth |
| Gonzalo García | Valorugby Emilia (IT) | 3 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Martín Landajo | Perpignan (FR) | 84 | 2018 vs Scotland at Edinburgh |
| Joaquín Pellandini | Jaguares XV | – | – |
FLY HALF
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Tomás Albornoz | Benetton (IT) | – | – |
| Joaquín Díaz Bonilla | Sharks (SA) | 4 | 2019 vs South Africa at Pretoria |
| Patricio Fernández | Perpignan (FR) | 2 | 2013 vs Brazil at Montevideo |
| Julián Hernández | Cafeteros Pro (CO) | – | – |
| Santiago Mare | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Domingo Miotti | Glasgow Warriors (UK) | 4 | 2021 vs Australia at Townsville |
| Nicolás Roger | Peñarol (UY) | – | – |
| Nicolás Sánchez | Stade Français (FR) | 93 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Benjamín Urdapilleta | Castres (FR) | 16 | 2019 vs USA at Kumagaya |
INSIDE CENTER
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Juan Pablo Castro | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Santiago Chocobares | Toulouse (FR) | 5 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Jerónimo de la Fuente | Perpignan (FR) | 65 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Bautista Ezcurra | Grenoble (FR) | 5 | 2018 vs New Zealand at Buenos Aires |
| Lucas Mensa | Mont de Marsan (FR) | 3 | 2020 vs New Zealand at Newcastle |
OUTSIDE CENTER
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Lucio Cinti | London Irish (UK) | 7 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Juan Cruz Mallía | Toulouse (FR) | 13 | 2021 vs Australia at Gold Coast |
| Matías Moroni | Leicester Tigers (UK) | 57 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Matías Orlando | Newcastle Falcons (UK) | 47 | 2021 vs Australia at Sydney |
| Agustín Segura | Jaguares XV | – | – |
WING
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Martín Bogado | Jaguares XV | – | – |
| Sebastián Cancelliere | Glasgow Warriors (UK) | 7 | 2021 vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth |
| Mateo Carreras | Newcastle Falcons (UK) | 5 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Santiago Carreras | Gloucester (UK) | 19 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Santiago Cordero | Bordeaux (FR) | 41 | 2021 vs Italy at Treviso |
| Bautista Delguy | Perpignan (FR) | 22 | 2021 vs France at Paris |
| Julián Domínguez | Austin Gilgronis (US) | – | – |
| Juan Imhoff | Racing 92 (FR) | 38 | 2021 vs Wales at Cardiff |
| Marcos Moneta | Los Pumas 7’s | – | – |
| Ramiro Moyano | Edinburgh (UK) | 36 | 2020 vs New Zealand at Newcastle |
| Axel Müller | Brive (FR) | – | – |
FULLBACK
| PLAYER | CLUB | CAPS | LAST CAP |
| Emiliano Boffelli | Edinburgh (UK) | 38 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Facundo Cordero | Exeter Chiefs (UK) | 1 | 2021 vs Ireland at Dublin |
| Facundo Ferrario | Rovigo (IT) | – | – |
| Ignacio Mendy | Jaguares XV | 1 | 2021 vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth |
| Gerónimo Prisciantelli | Jaguares XV | – | – |
