Argentina Head Coach Felipe Contepomi has made notable alterations to his roster. Following the historic win over the British & Irish Lions, Contepomi has continued his player management. Different players have been recalled and others given rest ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Los Pumas will play host to England on July 05 and 12 in La Plata and San Juan. The two match series will be followed by Argentina taking-on Uruguay in Salta. The three matches will conclude four weeks before Argentina’s opening Rugby Championship match on August 16 against New Zealand in Córdoba.
 ROSTER – ROTATION AND PLAYER MANAGEMENT |
As a former professional player based in Europe himself, Contepomi is well-aware of the flexibility required to play in the European club season and represent Argentina in the off-season. World Rugby still does not provide the players, fans or the sport with a Global Season.
Contepomi’s team against the British & Irish Lions saw Thomas Gallo notably absent. This was by design; Gallo was completing his vacations ahead of returning for international duty. Fellow prop Francisco Gómez Kodela is also back on the roster now. At the age of 40, Gómez Kodela is the oldest active Puma. He retired from professional rugby this month.
Gonzalo Bertranou, Facundo Isa and Lucas Paulos are the others added by Contepomi. Bertranou featured in the Major League Rugby (MLR) play-off’s for Los Angeles and Isa and Paulos did so for Toulouse and Bayonne respectively in the Top 14 play-off’s.
The starting halves against the British & Irish Lions were Gonzalo García and Tomás Albornoz. The pair are not on the roster to face England. Similarly, N8 Joaquín Oviedo, second-rower Franco Molina and tight-head prop Joel Sclavi have all been given rest.
The 2025 Top 14 Final will be a rematch of the 2024 Final. Contepomi used rotation then and is doing so again this year. Toulouse players Juan Cruz Mallía, Santiago Chocobares, and Efraín Elías are not on the roster nor is Bordeaux’s Guido Petti.
Others have been intentionally rested. Mateo Carreras, Bautista Delguy, Gerónimo Prisciantelli, Ignacio Calles, Eduardo Bello, Ignacio Ruiz and Marcos Kremer are all in the frame for international duty but are on vacations now. Bello, Kremer, Prisciantelli and Ruiz are recovering from injuries.
| MISSING PUMAS |
Contepomi’s 34-man roster to prepare for the matches against England and Uruguay also has missing Pumas. That is to say there are Pumas available that he has not selected. These are players excluding the aforementioned injured or rested players.
Flanker Rodrigo Bruni (Bayonne) and hooker Facundo Bosch (Bayonne) are missing. Neither played for Argentina under Contepomi, in 2024. Fellow flanker Francisco Gorrissen (Vannes) and tight head Santiago Medrano (Vannes) also miss out as do fly half Domingo Miotti (Montpellier) and scrum-half Tomás Cubelli (Miami Sharks).
Center Jerónimo de la Fuente (Perpignan) was busy for Los Pumas in July 2024 but missed the remainder of the year. In addition, the second-row saw new blood in 2024. Both Matías Alemanno and Tomás Lavanini were overtaken. Neither player is on the roster for July.
| SUPER RUGBY AMERICAS AND INVITATIONAL PLAYERS |
Contepomi has again rewarded Argentina’s High Performance system. Thirteen players from Super Rugby Americas (SRA) 2025 are on the roster to face England and Uruguay. There are six Dogos, four Pampas and three Tarucas.
The SRA 2025 players are: Pedro Delgado, Boris Wenger, Leonel Oviedo, Lautaro Simes, Agustín Moyano, Faustino Sánchez Valarolo (Dogos); Joaquín Moro, Justo Piccardo, Santiago Pernas, Alfonso Latorre (Pampas); and Luciano Asevedo, Nicolás Roger and Simón Benítez Cruz (Tarucas).
Of the SRA 2025 players, two are on the roster as invitational players. They are second-rower Luciano Asevedo and winger Alfonso Latorre. Both men are uncapped. They join eleven others in seeking to be awarded with their first caps for the country.
Simón Benítez Cruz, Boris Wenger and Bautista Bernasconi (Benetton, IT) all debuted for Los Pumas against the British & Irish Lions; however, no caps were awarded.
| ARGENTINA ROSTER – JULY 2025 |
#1 LOOSE HEAD PROP
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| THOMAS GALLO | MAYCO VIVAS | BORIS WENGER |
| Age: 26 | Age: 27 | Age: 22 |
| Height: 1.79m | Height: 1.86 kg | Height: 1.88m |
| Weight: 108kg | Weight: 126 kg | Weight: 110kg |
| Debut: vs Australia (2021) | Debut: vs New Zealand (2019) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: 35 | Caps: 27 | Caps: – |
| Club: Benetton (IT) | Club: Gloucester (UK) | Club: Dogos |
#2 HOOKER
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| BAUTISTA BERNASCONI | JULIÁN MONTOYA | LEONEL OVIEDO |
| Age: 23 | Age: 31 | Age: 27 |
| Height: 1.74m | Height: 1.84m | Height: 1.86m |
| Weight: 114kg | Weight: 108 kg | Weight: 115kg |
| Debut: uncapped | Debut: vs Uruguay (2014) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: – | Caps: 105 | Caps: – |
| Club: Benetton (IT) | Club: Pau (FR) | Club: Dogos |
#3 TIGHT HEAD PROP
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| FRANCISCO CORIA | PEDRO DELGADO | FRANCISCO GÓMEZ KODELA |
| Age: 24 | Age: 27 | Age: 40 |
| Height: 1.86m | Height: 1.85m | Height: 1.84m |
| Weight: 125 kg | Weight: 135kg | Weight: 120 kg |
| Debut: vs Uruguay (2024) | Debut: vs South Africa (2024) | Debut: vs Uruguay (2008) |
| Caps: 1 | Caps: 2 | Caps: 41 |
| Club: Brive (FR) | Club: Dogos | Club: Stade Français (FR) |
#4 LOOSE HEAD SECOND-ROW
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| LUCIANO ASEVEDO | LAUTARO SIMES |
| Age: 21 | Age: 25 |
| Height: 2.03m | Height: 2.02m |
| Weight: 124kg | Weight: 110kg |
| Debut: uncapped | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: – | Caps: – |
| Club: Tarucas | Club: Dogos |
#5 TIGHT HEAD SECOND-ROW
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| LUCAS PAULOS | PEDRO RUBIOLO |
| Age: 27 | Age: 22 |
| Height: 1.99m | Height: 1.94m |
| Weight: 123m | Weight: 115kg |
| Debut: vs New Zealand (2020) | Debut: vs South Africa (2022) |
| Caps: 14 | Caps: 20 |
| Club: Bayonne (FR) | Club: Bristol Bears (UK) |
# 6 FLANKER
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| SANTIAGO GRONDONA | PABLO MATERA |
| Age: 26 | Age: 31 |
| Height: 192m | Height: 1.93m |
| Weight: 105 kg | Weight: 110kg |
| Debut: vs New Zealand (2020) | Debut: vs Chile (2013) |
| Caps: 19 | Caps: 109 |
| Club: Bristol Bears (UK) | Club: Mia Honda Heat (JP) |
#7 FLANKER
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| JUAN MARTÍN GONZÁLEZ | JOAQUÍN MORO |
| Age: 24 | Age: 24 |
| Height: 1.92m | Height: 1.89m |
| Weight: 106 kg | Weight: 102kg |
| Debut: vs Romania (2021) | Debut: vs Uruguay (2024) |
| Caps: 40 | Caps 1 |
| Club: Saracens (UK) | Club: Pampas |
#8 EIGHT-MAN
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| BENJAMÍN GRONDONA | FACUNDO ISA |
| Age: 21 | Age: 31 |
| Height: 1.91m | Height: 1.88m |
| Weight: 105 kg | Weight: 111 kg |
| Debut: uncapped | Debut: vs Scotland (2014) |
| Caps: – | Caps: 51 |
| Club: Bristol Bears (UK) | Club: Pau (FR) |
#9 SCRUM-HALF
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| SIMÓN BENÍTEZ CRUZ | GONZALO BERTRANOU | AGUSTÍN MOYANO |
| Age: 25 | Age: 31 | Age: 22 |
| Height: 1.77m | Height: 1.78m | Height: 1.73m |
| Weight: 77kg | Weight: 85kg | Weight: 75kg |
| Debut: uncapped | Debut: vs Paraguay (2015) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: – | Caps: 67 | Caps: – |
| Club: Tarucas | Club: Los Angeles (US) | Club: Dogos |
#10 FLY HALF
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| SANTIAGO CARRERAS | NICOLÁS ROGER |
| Age: 26 | Age: 25 |
| Height: 1.83m | Height: 1.77m |
| Weight: 87 kg | Weight: 80kg |
| Debut: vs South Africa (2019) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: 53 | Caps: – |
| Club: Bath (UK) | Club: Tarucas |
#11 LEFT WING
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| ALFONSO LATORRE | IGNACIO MENDY |
| Age: 25 | Age: 24 |
| Height: 1.91m | Height: 1.86m |
| Weight: 96 kg | Weight: 86 kg |
| Debut: uncapped | Debut: vs South Africa (2021) |
| Caps: – | Caps: 2 |
| Club: Pampas | Club: Benetton (IT) |
#12 INSIDE CENTER
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| JUSTO PICCARDO | FAUSTINO SÁNCHEZ VALAROLO |
| Age: 23 | Age: 20 |
| Height: 1.83m | Height: 1.87 |
| Weight: 105kg | Weight: 94kg |
| Debut: vs Ireland (2024) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: 1 | Caps: – |
| Club: Pampas | Club: Dogos |
#13 OUTSIDE CENTER
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| LUCIO CINTI | MATÍAS MORONI |
| Age: 25 | Age: 34 |
| Height: 1.90m | Height: 1.84m |
| Weight: 91kg | Weight: 91kg |
| Debut: vs South Africa (2021) | Debut: vs Scotland (2014) |
| Caps: 32 | Caps: 89 |
| Club: Saracens (UK) | Club: Brive (FR) |
#14 RIGHT WING
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| RODRIGO ISGRÓ | SANTIAGO PERNAS |
| Age: 25 | Age: 21 |
| Height: 1.83m | Height: 1.80m |
| Weight: 100 kg | Weight: 91kg |
| Debut: vs Australia (2023) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: 7 | Caps: – |
| Club: Harlequins (UK) | Club: Pampas |
#15 FULLBACK
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| SANTIAGO CORDERO | BENJAMÍN ELIZALDE |
| Age: 31 | Age: 20 |
| Height: 1.76m | Height: 1.88m |
| Weight: 83 kg | Weight: 91 kg |
| Debut: vs England (2013) | Debut: uncapped |
| Caps: 54 | Caps: – |
| Club: Connacht (IE) | Club: Bristol Bears (UK) |
| ARGENTINA – FIXTURES JUNE + JULY 2025 |
| DATE | FIXTURE | VENUE | KICK-OFF (Rival) | KICK-OFF (AR) |
| June 20 | B&I Lions  24-28 Argentina |
Dublin (IE) | 8:00pm | 4:00pm |
| July 05 | Argentina vs England |
La Plata (AR) | 8:40pm | 4:40pm |
| July 12 | Argentina vs England |
San Juan (AR) | 8:40pm | 4:40pm |
| July 19 | Argentina vs Uruguay |
Salta (AR) | 4:40pm | 4:40pm |
The post Notable Alterations Made to Argentina Roster for England and Uruguay appeared first on Americas Rugby News.
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