Buenos Aires (AFP)
The coach of the Argentine rugby team Mario Ledesma on Friday called a group of 45 players, including 10 playing in the Top 14, for the Rugby championship scheduled in Australia (7 Nov-12 Dec).
Three players from Stade Français, opener Nicolas Sanchez, 2nd row Marcos Kremer and third row Pablo Matera, two Toulonnais, 3rd row Facundo Isa and winger Ramiro Moyano, two Bordelo-Béglais, 2nd row Guido Petti and winger Santiago Cordero, Rochelle hooker Facundo Bosch, Pau mainstay Ignacio Calles and Racing winger Juan Imhoff.
The latter is making his comeback in the Pumas jersey five years after his last call, in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup in the United Kingdom.
Since resuming the Top 14, Imhoff has scored three tries in four matches for Racing, future finalist of the European Cup.
Among those absent from this list are Tomas Lavanini, the Leicester Tigers (ENG) second row, injured in the ankle, and Matias Moroni (Jaguares / ARG) affected in the right knee.
Forced by the coronavirus pandemic, the Rugby championship, which brings together the teams of the four major rugby nations of the southern hemisphere - South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina - usually in home and away matches, will have held for the first time in a single country, Australia, from November 7 to December 12.
The Pumas will make their debut on November 7 against South Africa in Brisbane, then face New Zealand and Australia in Sydney.
The list of players summoned: Tomas Albornoz, Matias Alemanno, Gonzalo Bertranou, Emiliano Boffelli, Facundo Bosch, Rodrigo Bruni, Ignacio Calás, Ignacio Calles, Sebastián Cancelliere, Santiago Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Cordero, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo De la Fuente, Bautista Delguy, Joaquín Diaz Bonilla, Felipe Ezcurra, Rodrigo Fernández Criado, José Luis González, Juan Martin González, Francisco Gorrissen, Santiago Grondona, Juan Imhoff, Facundo Isa, Marcos Kremer, Tomás Lezana, Juan Cruz Mallía, Pablo Matera, Santiago Medrano, Domingo Miotti, Juián Montoya, Ramiro Moyano, Matias Orlando, Joaquin Oviedo, Lucas Paulos, Guido Petti, Enrique Pieretto, Nicolás Sanchez, Santiago Socino, Lucio Sordoni, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Mayco Vivas, Federico Wegrzyn, Juan Pablo Zeiss.
© 2020 AFP