Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Los Pumas will be forced into changes at tight head prop. Two of the three players to have started for Argentina in 2022 will miss the November Internationals. Joel Sclavi (9 caps) joins Francisco Gómez Kodela (26 caps) as being out of the upcoming tour to the UK.
Joel Sclavi has been handed an eight week suspension. The Argentine prop accepted his guilt for foul play while playing for La Rochelle against Bayonne on October 08. Sclavi started 2022 as the understudy to Francisco Gómez Kodela before starting tests with older player returning to his club.
Upon returning to France, Gómez Kodela suffered an injury in a Top 14 warm-up match in late August. The injury saw the veteran ruled out of remainder of the Rugby Championship and placed in doubt for the November Internationals. Gómez Kodela is yet to play since the injury.
Without the aforementioned tight head props Argentina are facing a crisis. Michael Cheika may start Eduardo Bello (6 caps) on the tour to England, Scotland and Wales in November. Bello had starts in the Rugby Championship this year. Another option is Santiago Medrano (27 caps). The player is now unattached following the downfall of the Worcester Warriors. Medrano started for the Argentina XV vs USA Falcons earlier this week.
The uncapped Martín Villar was the understudy to Medrano for the Argentina XV. His involvement is unlikely. Cheika may move Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro from loose head to tight head. Tetaz Chaparro (74 caps) played tight head this past weekend for Benetton in the United Rugby Championship (URC). Fellow Puma Thomas Gallo (10 caps) played loose head.
Additional tight heads may be considered from the URC. Glasgow Warriors players Lucio Sordoni (3 caps) and Enrique Pieretto (25 caps) would, in theory, be in consideration; however, the former is yet to feature for either Argentina or the Argentina XV this year. The latter was injured in the Argentina XV’s July tour to Georgia and Portugal. He is yet to play this season.
