Coach Felipe Contepomi has named five uncapped players in Argentina’s 34-man squad for the start of the Nations Championship.
Similar to what Rassie Erasmus has done with his Bok squad, Contepomi’s extended group combines emerging talent with proven internationals as Argentina prepare for a demanding July schedule against Scotland, Wales and England.
Three of the new faces are forwards in Luciano Asevedo, Leonel Oviedo and Juan Penoucos, while backs Agustín Fraga and Mateo Soler have also been included.
Fraga and Penoucos have been selected as development players.
Six members of the squad featured in this year’s Súper Rugby Américas competition, including Asevedo, Penoucos, Fraga, Nicolás Roger, Faustino Sánchez Valarolo and Soler.
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Contepomi has also retained a strong core of experienced campaigners, with Pablo Matera, Matías Alemanno and captain Julián Montoya among the senior figures in the group.
Players involved in this Saturday’s Top 14 final between Toulouse and Montpellier will join the squad next week and will not be available for Argentina’s opening fixture against Scotland.
“We are very happy to be back with the team and to start the year playing at home in front of our fans,” said Contepomi.
“A great challenge lies ahead with the start of the Nations Championship, a demanding new competition that will require a lot of preparation.
“The goal is to pick up where we left off last year and continue to strengthen ourselves as a team, striving for continuous improvement in every training session and match.
“Just as we have done in the last two years, we will have development players in the squad, which is extremely important for us to get to know them even better and to prepare them for the future.”
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Following the July internationals, Argentina will turn their attention to Tests against the Springboks and Wallabies.
Argentina squad
Forwards: Matías Alemanno, Luciano Asevedo, Francisco Coria Machetti, Pedro Delgado, Santi Grondona, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Franco Molina, Julián Montoya, Joaquín Moro, Joaquín Oviedo, Leonel Oviedo, Juan Penoucos, Guido Petti, Tomás Rapetti, Ignacio Ruiz, Mayco Vivas, Boris Wenger.
Backs: Tomás Albornoz, Simón Benítez Cruz, Mateo Carreras, Santi Carreras, Lucio Cinti, Bautista Delguy, Agustín Fraga, Gonzalo García, Rodrigo Isgro, Ignacio Mendy, Matías Moroni, Agustín Moyano, Gerónimo Prisciantelli, Nicolás Roger, Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, Mateo Soler.
Photo: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters
