mens
nations-championship
It was an expensive weekend Argentina on the injury front with two players ruled out Nations Championship and another whose participation is now in question.
Argentina have arrived in London and are now in camp ahead of Northern Hemisphere games against Ireland (November 6), Italy (November 14) and France (November 21), followed by the finals weekend.
After naming his squad last week, Felipe Contepomi has since lost the services of fullback/halfback Santiago Carreras and prop Thomas Gallo, while Santiago Chocobares’ involvement is dependent on the outcome of the HIA.
Carreras limped off in the 13th minute of Bath’s 23-5 derby defeat by his former club Gloucester on Friday night, with a serious injury to his lower limb, and spent the rest of the match on crutches.
The 70-cap international is due to undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury, which appears to be long-term, and his place in the squad has been taken by rookie Mateo Soler. Soler, 25, made his Test debut off the bench against Australia last month.
Meanwhile, Gallo has been sidelined with a wrist injury, opening the door for Dragons’ Rodrigo Martinez to add to his four caps, which have been won over a five-year period.
Center Matías Moroni could get a chance to join the rapid expansion Cougars Centurions club after being called up as cover for Chocobares, who suffered a blow to the head while playing for Toulouse during the weekend.
A facial injury in the defeat to Australia in Jujuy at the end of August left the 35-year-old stranded with 99 caps, and he was subsequently left out of Argentina’s original squad for November’s national team.
Guido Petti and Matías Alemanno became Test centurions in July, and Moroni could now join them, 12 years after his Pumas debut, if the equally experienced Chocobares retires.
Currently, former fly-half Nicolás Sánchez is the only centurion to have played in the backs, while the other 100 members of the club are current captain Pablo Matera, long-time leaders Julián Montoya and Agustín Creevy, and Matías Alemanno.
