Argentina have lost Pablo Dimcheff to Italy. The hooker from Buenos Aires has been named on the Italian roster to tour Namibia and South Africa in July. It marks a first call-up at the capped level for the Argentine born and raised front-rower.
| PLAYER ELIGIBILITY LAWS |
The selection comes via regulation 8 of World Rugby Player Eligibility Laws. Regulation 8 requires players to meet at least one of three criteria: (a) be born in the country; (b) have one parent or grandparent from the country; (c) complete 5 years consecutive residency immediately before representative duty; or (d) ten years cumulative residency preceding the time of selection.
Dimcheff qualifies via his maternal grandparents who are of Calabrian origin. He joins three years after having been on Argentina XV roster for the July 2022 tour of Portugal and Georgia. He did not receive game time on the tour which means he is eligible to play for Italy. Santiago Socino and Bautista Bernasconi were the hookers used on the 2022 tour.
Another homegrown Argentine has captained Italy this year. Juan Ignacio Brex captained the Azzurri against New Zealand in November and led the team against Ireland in the 2025 Six Nations. Brex will be rested rather than tour Southern Africa in July. The same is true of Italian-capped Argentine prop Ivan Nemer who is also not on the roster. Dimcheff, Brex and Nemer all played for Argentine teams other than Los Pumas.
| CAREER – PABLO DIMCHEFF |
The 25-year-old Dimcheff is a product of Pucará in Buenos Aires. He went through the Argentine High Performance system which included him playing for Argentina at the 2019 World Rugby Junior World Championship. He played alongside Pumas including Thomas Gallo Juan MartÃn González, Bautista Pedemonte, Gonzalo GarcÃa, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, and Ignacio Mendy.
Following the Junior World Championship on home soil Dimcheff played for Los Jaguares XV in the Currie Cup First Division; the Argentine team went unbeaten. Then he joined Los Ceibos for the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR); now Super Rugby Americas.
Dimcheff is a product of Pucará in Buenos Aires. The same club has produced many Pumas past and present. Among them is Pumas winger Bautista Delguy who plays for Clermont. Dimcheff moved from Argentina to continue his career in France. He has played Top 14 for Bordeaux and Pro d2 for Mont de Marsan, Charente and his current club, Colomiers.
| ARGENTINA LOSE A HOOKER |
Dimcheff’s selection for Italy means Argentina lose a hooker. It comes less than a year after AgustÃn Creevy’s retirement from international duty. The hooker vacancy remains open; though, Bautista Bernasconi is likely to debut for Argentina in 2025. He trained with Los Pumas in March alongside Ignacio Ruiz and captain Julián Montoya.
Additional options of note include Facundo Bosch and Leonel Oviedo. Veteran Facundo Bosch has 12 caps for Argentina and has had an impressive season for Bayonne in the Top 14. Leonel Oviedo plays for Los Dogos in Super Rugby Americas. Bernasconi plays for Benetton in URC.
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