Pumas name strong 22 for Italy
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has gleefully drawn on all available resources for his side's one-off Test against Italy on Saturday, recalling as many players from the Top 14 as possible.
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has gleefully drawn on all available resources for his side's one-off Test against Italy on Saturday, recalling as many players from the Top 14 as possible.
Lock Patricio Albacete and hooker Alberto Vernet Basualdo are still busy with Toulouse in the Top 14 Final, and Martin Scelzo is playing for Clermont this coming weekend and will miss the Test.
But prop Rodrigo Roncero, prop Pedro Ledesma and fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez, all of Stade Français, flew out to Buenos Aires in the wake of their clubs' semi-final defeats at the weekend, and are named in the matchday 22.
Fly-half/centre Marcelo Bosch of Biarritz and lock Manuel Carizza, also of Biarritz, have also been recalled to the side, along with centre Miguel Avramovic, and there is a chance for young back-rower Alejandro Campos of the Pueyrredon club to shine.
Centre Gonzalo Tiesi, fly-half and captain Felipe Contempomi, back-rower Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, lock Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, props Santiago Gonzales Bonorino and Marcos Ayerza, and back Federico Serra have all been dropped from the side that lost 26-14 to Scotland last week.
The starting XV will be announced on Thursday.
Argentina matchday squad: Horacio Agulla (Dax), Miguel Avramovic (Montauban), Lucas Borges (Benetton Treviso), Marcelo Bosch (Biarritz Olympique), Alejandro Tomas Campos (Pueyrredon), Manuel Carizza (Biarritz Olympique), Martin Durand (Champagnat), Pablo Gambarini (CASI), Alvaro Galindo (Beziers), Juan Francisco Gomez (Leinster), Juan Martin Hernandez (Stade Francais), Alfredo Lalanne (SIC), Juan Manuel Leguizamon (London Irish), Pedro Ledesma (Stade Francais), Esteban Lozada (Tolone), Federico Aramburu (Perpignan), Rodrigo Roncero (Stade Francais), James Stuart (CASI), Bernardo Stortoni (Glasgow Warriors), Hernan Senillosa (Hindù Club), Alvaro Tejeda (Overmach Cariparma), Nicolas Vergallo (Jockey Club Rosario).