Argentina bring in big guns for Rugby Championship

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi has revealed his 31-man Rugby Championship squad ahead of their tour to New Zealand.

Six returning veterans headline Contepomi’s selection and there is also a first call-up to the senior team for one player.

Lucio Cinti, Agustín Creevy, Juan Martín González, Tomás Lavanini, Juan Cruz Mallía and Joel Sclavi will return to the team after their participation in the 2023 World Cup in France.

Meanwhile, Efraín Elías, captain of Los Pumitas in the recent World Rugby Under-20 championship, will have his first experience with Los Pumas.

Jerónimo de la Fuente, a player from Rosario who recently reached 80 caps with Los Pumas, will not participate in the Rugby Championship due to personal reasons.

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“After meeting up with the squad for the three weeks of the July Window, we now have the enormous challenge of starting a new Rugby Championship and continuing to build and evolve as a team,” said Contepomi.

“For the first two matches with New Zealand we have a list of 31 players and something important to note is that this list is not definitive for the rest of the competition. It may be modified as the tournament progresses.

“On the other hand, we want to thank the Argentine public for their enormous support in the first three matches of the year and we are looking forward to meeting again in La Plata, Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero in the coming weeks.”

Argentina Rugby Championship squad: