Argentina limited to two per club for European tour Tests

NOVEMBER INTERNATIONALS:THE ARGENTINA squad to tour Europe next month has been restricted to two players per club for each match. Reuters reported this handicap yesterday as Pumas coach Santiago Phelan reduced a 39-man player pool to 27 ahead of the match against Wales in Cardiff on November 10th

French club Montpelier have seven contracted players in the enlarged panel so backs Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino and Santiago Fernandez – who both featured in the 25-19 defeat to Australia on October 7th – are not included.

Frontrowers Agustin Creevy and Juan Figallo are the club’s representatives selected by Phelan.

The IRB would not comment yesterday when asked if this was contravening regulation nine of the governing body’s charter, which is designed “to enable players to obtain release to represent their country during defined international windows. The IRB assists unions with the process of release if a union requests it to do so should difficulty be experienced in obtaining release”.

The restriction on Argentinian player selections should be an advantage for Declan Kidney’s Ireland securing a top-eight ranking ahead of the 2015 World Cup draw on December 3rd.

The Pumas, ranked eighth, face Ireland, ranked seventh, at the Aviva Stadium on November 24th, seven days after playing France in Lille.

The majority of the squad that performed so well during the Rugby Championship have been retained, although veteran prop Rodrigo Roncero has retired and fullback Martin Rodriguez is injured.

However, Argentina’s acceptance into the Southern Hemisphere tournament for the first time this year is expected to lead to a significant drop in recruitment of their players by European clubs.

“We are not going to look at recruiting Argentinian players and I think that is the way with most of the other French clubs,” said Biarritz assistant coach Jack Isaacs. “They are off the radar.”

An example of this is lock Manuel Carizza, who is back in Argentina playing for Jockey Club Rosario.

“Manu Carizza was a player with the club for six, seven years,” said Isaacs. “He is now a very mature, well developed lock of international standard so we were disappointed to have to let him go but it was just impossible to keep him. It was going to cost the club too much money.

“There were a whole lot of complications that accumulated to make our decision a bit easier but it was a real shame because he is a really good player but we just had to cut him.

“It’s unfortunate, a guy like Manu could have another six years playing in France, establish a good career and make a bit of money but he chose to go back to the Pumas.

“Most of the French clubs are the same; nearly all the Argentinian [internationals] are going. I don’t know how they are going to deal with the situation from here.”

The Pumas will still be able to field a pack littered with world class performers like captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Toulouse lock Patricio Albacete and Leicester prop Marcos Ayerza.

ARGENTINA squad (v Wales): JM Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon, capt), L Senatore (Gimnasia Rosario), JM Leguizamon (Lyon), T Leonardi (SIC), JF Cabello (Tucuman), T de la Vega (CUBA), P Albacete (Toulouse), M Carizza (Jockey Club Rosario), M Ayerza (Leicester Tigers), A Creevy (Montpellier), J Figallo (Montpellier), E Guinazu (unaffiliated), B Postiglioni (La Plata), F Gomez Codela (Biarritz), J Tuculet (Grenoble), S Cordero (Regatas Bella Vista), H Agulla (Bath), JJ Imhoff (Racing Metro), M Montero (Pucara), G Camacho (Exeter), M Bosch (Biarritz), G Tiesi (SIC), JM Hernandez (Racing Metro), N Sanchez (Bordeaux-Begles), N Vergallo (Toulouse), M Landajo (CASI), T Cubelli (Belgrano Athletic).

SCOTLAND squad (v New Zealand, November 11th:

Backs: M Blair, N De Luca, A Dunbar, M Evans, S Hogg, P Horne, R Jackson, L Jones, G Laidlaw , S Lamont, R Lawson, P Murchie, H Pyrgos, M Scott, T Seymour, T Visser. Forwards: J Barclay, K Brown, G Cross, D Denton, R Ford, G Gilchrist, R Grant, R Gray, D Hall, J Hamilton, A Jacobsen, A Kellock, S Lawson , S McInally, R Rennie, T Ryder A Strokosch, K Traynor