Four Players Join Pumas Roster to Prepare for Italy Test Match

Felipe Contepomi has been forced to make changes ahead of Saturday’s test match against Italy in Genoa. Four players have joined the roster to prepare for the showdown. Two of them are uncapped while one is back after a very long absence of over five years.

Matías Medrano joins the roster in place of Rodrigo Martínez. Medrano is uncapped and joins Benetton this season from Super Rugby Americas. Martínez has earned one test cap thus far in 2026.

Hookers Facundo Bosch and Bautista Bernasconi also join the roster. Neither has played for Los Pumas this year with Bosch’s most recent cap being in 2021 under Mario Ledesma. Bernasconi previously played for Argentina in July 2025.

The addition of two hookers comes following a complicated match in Dublin. Julián Montoya failed an HIA and was thus forced off well inside the opening half. Leonel Oviedo was tested multiple times during the match which saw uncontestable scrums. Both are in doubt to face Italy while Ignacio Ruiz remains sidelined.

In the backs, Tobías Wade comes in for Juan Cruz Mallía after the Toulouse fullback suffered a sprained knee against Ireland. It means a shake-up is on the cards as Santiago Carreras and Benjamín Elizalde are also injured. Either a new name will be the starting fullback for Los Pumas against Italy or Gerónimo Prisciantelli will change his role from back-up fly-half to starting fullback.

Argentina’s line-up to face Italy will be named on Thursday, two days ahead of the Nations Championship match in Genoa.

ROSTER – LOOSE HEAD PROP

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
LH	Matías Medrano	22	Benetton (IT)	–
LH	Mayco Vivas	28	Oyonnax (FR)	45
LH	Boris Wenger	24	Harlequins (GB-ENG)	12

ROSTER – HOOKER

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
HK	Bautista Bernasconi	25	Benetton (IT)	3
HK	Facundo Bosch	35	Bayonne (FR)	12
HK	Julián Montoya	32	Pau (FR)	121
HK	Leonel Oviedo	28	Western Force (AU)	4

ROSTER – TIGHT HEAD PROP

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
TH	Francisco Moreno	24	Newcastle Red Bulls (GB-ENG)	4
TH	Tomás Rapetti	21	Toulouse (FR)	8
TH	Joel Sclavi	32	Leicester Tigers (GB-ENG)	33

ROSTER – LOOSE HEAD SECOND-ROW

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
LO	Efraín Elías	22	Toulouse (FR)	7
LO	Guido Petti	31	Harlequins (GB-ENG)	105

ROSTER – TIGHT HEAD SECOND-ROW

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
LO	Tomás Lavanini	33	Highlanders (NZ)	94
LO	Pedro Rubiolo	23	Bristol Bears (GB-ENG)	32

ROSTER – FLANKER

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
LFL	Juan Martín González	25	Saracens (GB-ENG)	52
FL	Marcos Kremer	29	Clermont (FR)	84
FL	Pablo Matera	33	Honda Heat (JP)	128

ROSTER – NO. 8

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
NO. 8	Facundo Isa	33	Pau (FR)	53
NO. 8	Joaquín Moro	25	Leicester Tigers (GB-ENG)	8
NO. 8	Juan Martín Scelzo	24	Stade Français (FR)	3

ROSTER – SCRUM-HALF

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
SH	Simón Benítez Cruz	27	Newcastle Red Bulls (GB-ENG)	16
SH	Gonzalo García	27	Pau (FR)	20
SH	Agustín Moyano	23	Western Force (AU)	11

ROSTER – FLY HALF

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
FH	Tomás Albornoz	29	Toulon (FR)	25
FH	Gerónimo Prisciantelli	27	Racing 92 (FR)	7

ROSTER – INSIDE CENTER

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
CE	Santiago Chocobares	27	Toulouse (FR)	36
CE	Faustino Sánchez Valarolo	22	Dogos	5

ROSTER – OUTSIDE CENTER

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
CE	Lucio Cinti	26	Saracens (GB-ENG)	46
CE	Justo Piccardo	24	Montpellier (FR)	14

ROSTER – WING

POS	PLAYER	AGE	CLUB	CAPS
WI	Mateo Carreras	26	Bayonne (FR)	37
WI	Bautista Delguy	29	Clermont (FR)	43
WI	Rodrigo Isgró	27	Harlequins (GB-ENG)	20
WI	Ignacio Mendy	26	Benetton (IT)	8