Top 14 Barrage Preview

Castres vs Montpellier

The Top 14 barrage will kick-off shortly with the first of two knock-out matches being taking place in France. Today´s match sees Castres play host to Montpellier in what is a rematch of last seasons barrage encounter in which Martín Bustos Moyano booted Montpellier into a first ever Top 14 Semi Final. Ther one time capped Argentine winger will start the match on the left wing, retaining the goalkicking duties and will be joined by four other Pumas with Juan Figallo starting at loosehead prop and Santiago Fernández at inside centre, just like they did 12 months ago. The trio will be joined by another Pumas forward and a back in the starting XV with Lucas González Amorosino playing fullback and Agustín Creevy playing hooker. The form of all five players has been impressive this season and all will feature for Los Pumas in The Rugby Championship. A sixth Argentine player, Maximilano Bustos is also on the Montpellier card, as a replacement. He is uncapped despite having been a part of the Argentine squad at New Zealand 2011. The opposition, Castres, do not have any Pumas but do have a South American with Uruguay´s Rodrigo Capó Ortega on the bench.

Toulon vs Racing Métro

The second barrage play-off match will be played on Saturday with Toulon playing host to Racing Métro. Both sides will have Pumas players with Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe starting at 8 for Toulon and to other Juan´s starting for the Paris based opposition. Pulling the strings at flyhalf will be Juan Martín Hernández who has been impvoing this season after a slow start and wil be joined by a player who 21 months ago was an unknown, Juan Imhoff. The young speedster will play on the left wing while former Pumas backrower, Alvaro Galindo has been named on the bench.

The Rugby Championship Players to Watch - Manuel Carizza

27 year old secondrower Manuel Carizza has been around for a long time. So much so that he is one of only a few Pumas to have faced South Africa previously and to have played a test match in Mendoza, the same city that will host the Springboks in The Rugby Championship. He made his debut eight years ago and has played 23 tests, starting 16 of them and having made the Pumas number 4 shirt his own in recent times. He has become increasingly visible on the field in recent times with hard hitting tackles, solid scrumaging and ball carrying skills and has been used as the primary jumper at the front of the lineout. With a height of over 2 metres and weighing over 115KG Carizza has the build to match the skills necessary for international rugby.

Carizza for Biarritz

Carizza made his international debut in 2004 vs the Springboks in Buenos Aires. The test was played outside of the June / November international windows which meant professional players were not released by their clubs. His second test came in April 2005 vs Japan, again it was a match in which clubs were not obliged to release players. He was a replacement in the history making 25-25 draw with the Lions in Cardiff and then played in all three tests in November - vs South Africa, Scotland and Italy from the bench. Carizza was pushing hard to be Argentina´s fourth choice secondrower for Rugby World Cup 2007 to make up the squad. Patricio Albacete, Rimas Alvarez Kairelis and Carlos Ignacio Fernández Lobbe were certainties and Carizza was in competition with Esteban Lozada and Pablo Bouza. Carizza played three tests in 2006, facing Chile, Uruguay and Wales,  but was not picked for the November tour with coach Marcello Lofreda opting to give Esteban Lozada his debut, joining the three big name players. Lozada would go on to be Argentina´s fourth choice secondrower at Franbe 2007 despite Carizza starting vs Italy in Mendoza in June that year.

Carizza wins lineout ball vs England

Although Carizza was overlooked for Rugby World Cup 2007, he was developing greatly as a player in France. He had joined Biarritz in 2005. At the time the club was nothing short of a powerhouse, winning the French Championship in 2005 and 2006 as well as being the Heineken Cup runners-up in 2006. Biarritz next made the Heineken Cup Final in 2010 with Carizza being an important player for the club. The timing was ideal for Los Pumas as both Carlos Ignacio Fernández Lobbe and Rimas Alvarez Kairelis had retired from international duty despite still playing for Perpignan and Northampton. The year 2010 saw Carizza become Argentina´s first choice number 4 as he joined Albacete to form what is becoming a long term secondrow combination. They function very well together with Albacete being more of a loose player and Carizza more of a tight player. The combination worked well, going on to be used at Rugby World Cup 2011 and starting four of the five matches of the tournament. Carizza had a fine World Cup, getting through a high amount of work.

Carizza is a player bucking the historical trend of Los Pumas. At France 2007 Argentina´s 30 man squad had 26 players from Buenos Aires. At New Zealand 2011, however, the number was 18. Carizza was one of six players from Argentina´s third largest city, Rosario. The same city will host Argentina vs Australia in The Rugby Championship with Carizza likely to be the starting number 4. The pair could indeed still be the starting pair at Rugby World Cup 2015 considering the age and form of the two players. Together they ensure that Argentina has a solid and reliable secondrow in all areas of play. 

Week One: Juan Manuel Leguizamón

Week Two: Lucas González Amorosino

Week Three: Marcelo Bosch

Week Four: Agustín Creevy

Week Five: Juan Martín Hernández 
Week Six: Martín Bustos Moyano
Week Seven: Leonardo Senatore

Week Eight: Rodrigo Roncero
Week Nine: Gonzalo Camacho
Week Ten: Patricio Albacete
Week Eleven: Horacio Agulla
Week Twelve: Juan Figallo
Week Thirteen: Santiago Fernández
Week Fourteen: Tomás Cubelli 
Week Fifteen: Marcos Ayerza

Week Sixteen: Manuel Carizza

Week Seventeen: Nicolás Vergallo

Esteban Lozada joins Agen on two year deal

As pointed out previously on Argentina2023, former Pumas secondrower Esteban Lozada will be playing his rugby in France next season following the end of his two year contract with Edinburgh. While playing in Scotland, Lozada fell out of favor with Pumas selectors despite making 34 appearances for Edinburgh in Celtic-Italian League (Rabo Direct Pro 12) and Heineken Cup matches. Lozada now has the chance to play his way back into Los Pumas playing for his new club, Agen. His contract with the Southwestern French club is for two years and marks a return to the Top 14 after he had previously played for Toulon from 2007-2010.

His return to France comes on the back of his performances vs Top 14 side Racing Métro in the Heineken Cup in which the Scottish side defeated the Parisians both home and away. Talks with Agen started in January with the club liking what they saw from the former Puma. Now aged 30, Lozada, it would seem, has one final chance of representing his country as Argentina are set to play a record twelve tests in 2012. Should he not return it would be a tough road making the squad considering 2013 will officially be the start of preperation for Rugby World Cup 2015. He is the same age as Argentina´s leading secondrwoer, Patricio Albacete, and older than the three others who went to Rugby World Cup 2011.

Top 14 - Final Round Wrap

Round 26, the final round, of the French Top 14 was played on Saturday, confirming Brive´s relegation to the Pro d2 along with Lyon and confirming Racing Métro as the sixth placed French side joining Clermont Auvergne, Toulouse, Toulon, Castres and Montpellier in the Top six and therefore qualifying for the 2012-2013 Heineken Cup. As such Racing Métro will take on the third placed Toulon in one of the two barrage play-off matches scheduled for May 26 while the fourth placed Castres will host Montpellier in the other, one day earlier in what is a rematch from last seasons barrage match when Argentina´s Martín Bustos Moyano eliminated Castres. By virtue of finishing first and second in the regular season, Clermont Auvergne and Toulouse are rewarded with automatic qualification for the Semi Finals and will face the winners of the barrage matches. The exit of Brive to the second division continues a tradition of Southwestern French sides exiting as the competition is increasingly being spread to more areas of the country and is also seeing the small town teams benig replaced by big city teams. 

The final round was another case in point of why Rugby World Cup 2023 ought to take place in Argentina as Pumas players both experienced and young were on show in large numbers, scoring tries and putting in solid performances. Moreover, Argentine players were joined by players from Canada, Uruguay and the USA as the Americas, the last frontier for Rugby World Cups, continues to contribute greatly to the global game.

Agen 25-22 Racing Métro

The new sensation, Juan Imhoff scored a try playing on the left wing and was joined in the backthree by  Juan Martín Hernández. Backrower Alvaro Galindo joined the pair in playing the full match. Juan Orlandi was a 54th minute replacement. None of Agen´s three Pumas featured. 

Bordeaux Begles 37-29 Perpignan
Former Pumas winger Rafael Carballo played outside centre for Bordeaux, scoring a first half try.

Clermont Auvergne 57-14 Brive

Canadian Jamie Cudmore played secondrow for the winners. Three former Puams played for Brive with Agustín Figuerola playing scrumhalf and scoring a try. Pablo Henn started atr loosehead prop and tighthead prop Pablo Cardinali played the full secondhalf.

Toulouse 20-13 Montpellier

Pumas secnodrower Patricio Albacete played 67 minutes for Toulouse but scurmhalf Nicolás Vergallo did not feature. Lucas González Amorosino played fullback for Montpellier and Martín Bustos Moyano was the left winger, kicking one penalty and a conversion. Juan Figallo started in his Pumas position of tighthead prop and Agustín Creevy at hooker. Pumas inside back Santiago Fernández came on in the 56th minute while Maximilano Bustos was unused from the bench.

Lyon 5-29 Toulon

The man expected to lead Los Pumas, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe played the full match for Toulon, scorign a try. His Pumas backrow colleague, Juan Manuel Leguizamón did not play however.

Castres 31-29 Bayonne

Uruyan international, Rodrigo Capó Ortega started for Castres.

Biarritz 15-6 Stade Français

USA winger Taku Ngwenya played in the 14 shirt for Biarritz and Pumas centre Marcelo Bosch played fullback. Francisco Gomez Kodela came into the frontrow in the 49th minute while secondrower Manuel Carizza entered in the 62nd. Pumas legend Rodrigo Roncero played his final game of French rugby and Felipe Contepomi played at inside centre and Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga was a 54th minute replacement. 

Top 14 Barrage
Friday May 25 Castres vs Montpellier, Stade Pierre-Antoine
Saturday May 26 Toulon vs Racing Métro, Stade Féliz-Mayol


Final Standings
1 Clermont 87
2 Clermont 87
3 Toulon 73
4 Castres 69
5 Montpellier 67
6 Racing Métro 64
7 Stade Français 58
8 Bordeaux 53
9 Biarritz 52
10 Agen 52
11 Perpignan 49
12 Bayonne 48
13 Brive 42
14 Lyon 31

* Semi Finalists
* Barrage
* Relegated to Pro d2

Agen vs Racing Métro

SUA v RM 92 - Le résumé en vidéo por racingmetro92

Bordeaux vs Perpignan

Résumé du match Bordeaux vs USAP - Mai 2012 por USAP_Communication

Clermont vs Brive

ASM-Brive : Le résumé por asm

Toulouse vs Montpellier


Lyon vs Toulon

Jamie Cudmore Tribute video

Cudmore breaking through a tackle vs Leicester

Jamie Cudmore is a legendary rugby player in both his home country of Canada and his French club, Clermont.  The secondrower is a hard man both on and off the field and is well respected in French rugby circles. He has played in three Rugby World Cups and four French Top 14 Finals and, in 2010, was crowned champion of France. Now aged 33 he is into the twilight of this career but could join the elit club of players to have played in four Rugby World Cup´s but he will be turning 37 come September 2015. Cudmore has been playing for the French club since 2005 and previously played one season for Grenoble and before that he played two seasons in Wales with Llanelli. 

His   performances over a long period of time at the top level in France speak wonders for his abilities and underline his contribute as a representative of Canada to the global game. Off the field, Cudmore leads an active life in France and is even the owner of a wine bar. The following video is a fitting tribute to the player and the person. 

Rafael Carballo extends contract with Bordeaux

Former Pumas winger, Rafael Carballo has signed a new two year deal with Top14 club, Bordeaux-Begles to continue with the club until 2014. Carballo has been playing for the club since 2010, helping the club win promotion to the Top 14 from the Pro d2 last season. He had previously played for Castres for from 2006-2009 and for Toulon from 2004-2006. Carballo has had a highly productive season in the Top 14, playing nineteen matches thus far, sixteen of which have been in the starting lineup. He has been used on both wings and even started three matches at inside centre. He is considered to be a winger, however, with a build of 88KG and is now 30 years old. 

Carballo has been capped eight times for his country. He made his international debut in 2006 vs Wales and most recently featured in Argentina´s 41-13 win over France in Buenos Aires in June 2010, scoring a try. He has socred three tries in his eight international appearances, including a great try vs Italy in 2008 to win the match in Torino. Injuries kept him out of the Pumas team in 2009 and saw him leave Castres for a return to Buenos Aires. Upon returning to full fitness, he had been overtaken by youngsters for the Pumas wing slots. A return to Los Pumas remains a possibility but not a strong one given the form of Horacio Agulla, Lucas González Amorosino, Gonzalo Camacho and Juan Imhoff who were the wingers at Rugby World Cup 2011. Montpellier´s Martín Bustos Moyano has also been impressive and looks certain to be selected for Argentina. Carballo remains in the picture, however, giving Santiago Phelan plenty of options.

Update on players from the Americas for 2012/2013

Here is a roundup on the futures of the Argentines and other players from the Americas next season.

Gonzalo Tiesi has had a season
plagued with serious injuries and
has been released by Stade Français

Gonzalo Tiesi has had an enormously injury disrupted season, after getting injured during Argentina's opening match at the World Cup in New Zealand he was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament, he returned in November in the Amlin Challenge Cup to play his only match of the season for Stade Français, only to get back injured again.

He has been released by Stade for next season, and the 27 year old centre looks to be out of the equation regarding Pumas selection for this season due to injuries and lack of game time, and is now looking for a new club, which may be hard to find until he proves his fitness.

Belgian born Argentine lock Esteban Lozada was named on the list of departures from Edinburgh recently, and is going to join Agen, another Argentine on their list of departures was 36 year old prop Ulyses Gamboa who was never expected to stay long with them anyway.

Versatile back Matías Viazzo, previously a centre but now a scrum half or fly half, has left Tarbes after one season and re-joined financially troubled Bourgoin after just one season away from them. However Tarbes are bringing in another Argentine, in prop Carlos Muzzio from Fédérale 1 side Vannes.

The Chilean lock Pablo Huete who was signed last season for the Castres Espoirs squad, hasn't got a minute of action this season, and has left for Pau, who are currently third in Pro D2, and Huete should get more game time there. Another Chilean Francisco de la Fuente has left Auch after being sparsely used this season, just playing 98 minutes. The lack of game time for these two players must be considered a disappointment for Chilean rugby.

The all time most capped USA player, Mike MacDonald has left Leeds after seven years with the club, Leeds announced a mass clearout which also includes Americans scrum half Robbie Shaw after failing to achieve promotion back to the Premiership this season.

Confirmed movements for 2012-13 so far

Argentines
Carlos Muzzio, prop, Vannes (Fédérale 1) to Tarbes (Pro D2)
Ulyses Gamboa, prop, Edinburgh (Rabo Pro12) released
Guillermo Roan, prop, Wasps (Aviva Premiership) released (looking for a team in Pro D2)
Rodrigo Roncero, prop, Stade Français (Top 14), retired (unconfirmed whether he will play in the inaugural Rugby Championship)
Esteban Lozada, lock, Edinburgh (Rabo Pro12) to Agen (Top 14)
Leandro Cédaro, lock, Mont-de-Marsan (Pro D2) to La Rochelle (Pro D2)
Manuel Carizza, lock, Biarritz (Top 14) released (is rumoured to have interest from the Scarlets and also from some Super Rugby sides)
Matías Viazzo, fly half, Tarbes (Pro D2) to Bourgoin (Pro D2)
Benjamín Urdapilleta, centre, Harlequins (Aviva Premiership) to Oyonnax (Pro D2)
Gonzalo Tiesi, centre, Stade Français (Top 14) released
Horacio Agulla, wing, Leicester (Aviva Premiership) released
Agustín Gosio, wing, London Scottish (Championship) released (had an offer from the Cornish Pirates but rejected it)

Americans
Mike MacDonald, prop, Leeds (Championship) released
Hayden Smith, lock, Saracens (Aviva Premiership) to New York Jets (NFL)
Todd Clever, flanker, Suntory Sungoliath (Top League) to NTT Shining Arcs (Top League)
Robbie Shaw, scrum half, Leeds (Championship) released
Kevin Swiryn, wing, Agen (Top 14) retired

Canadians
Chauncey O'Toole, flanker, Ospreys (Rabo Pro12) released
Connor McCann, fly half, Ontario Blues (Canadian Rugby Championship) to Clermont Espoirs (Top 14)

Chileans
Pablo Huete, lock, Castres Espoirs (Top 14) to Pau (Pro D2)
Francisco de la Fuente, centre, Auch (Pro D2) released

An update on the situation of Horacio Agulla

Despite having a fantastic season
with Leicester, Horacio Agulla has
been given zero chance by coach
Richard Cockerill of a negotiation
for a new deal for next season

Meanwhile despite some immense form from Horacio Agulla, who has won over many critics, and fans (there is a Facebook campaign for him to stay at Leicester) won player of the season at Leicester, and has been admired as one the best wingers of the season in the Premiership, a position that Argentina now have the luxury of having a back three of Imhoff, Agulla and Amorosino containing three players who are amongst the best in their leagues, never before has Argentina had such depth in their wingers.

The continued form of Agulla made people think it was possible he could negotiate a new deal with Leicester who have said they no longer want him, due to unavailability whilst with Argentina.

however that was just speculation and the Leicester coach Richard Cockerill (the idiot who totally ignored Amorosino for two years) ended it confirming there would be no new deal and hit out at the Argentine governing body (the UAR), saying  "The Argentine Rugby Union have not helped their players and have just thought that the (northern hemisphere) clubs would subsidise their players from June to December, they are going to have difficulties because, I imagine, only the top French clubs could afford to do that."

However I can't imagine Agulla on current form will have many difficulties finding a new club.

Top 14 - Round 25 Wrap

Lucas González Amorosino for Montpellier

The penultimate round of the French Championship, the Top 14 was played on Friday and Saturday and looks to have all but confirmed the fate of Bayonne and Brive, the two teams who went into the round tied for 12th position. Whoever finishes 13th will be relegated and that team looks set to be Brive after the South-Western French team lost at home to their big city rivals, Bordeaux-Begles. With Bayonne knocking over Agen, Brive are now five points behind Bayonne and need a miracle to avoid being relegated to the Pro d2 next season. Should Brive fall it would continue the pattern of small town teams from France´s South-West dropping to the Pro d2, joining the likes of Albi, Auch, Dax, Mont de Marsan, Pau. Bigger city teams, in contrast are tending to benefit from the growth of the rugby market in France.   

At the other end of the table, Stade Français´ play-off´s chances look to have ended following  following a narrow loss at the Stade de France vs Racing Métro. As such the top six are all but confirmed with Toulouse and Clermont to have the barrage round off. Both sides lost on Saturday with Toulouse´s late season form continuing to be poor whle Clermont were seriously depleted by injuries. Castres were fortunate to host the Clermont side that it did and the win guarantees a place in the Barrage while Montpellier and Toulon are also safe. 

Montpellier 21-16 Biarritz

Eight Argentine players with Lucas González Amorosino playing fullback and scoring a try in the first minute. Martín Bustos Moyano kicked eleven points, playing on the wing and Santiago Fernández played the full match at inside centre. Agustín Creevy and Juan Figallo started in the frontrow, both being replaced in the secondhalf while prop Maximilano Bustos came on from the bench. Marcelo Bosch played the full 80 minutes at fullback for the visitors who also had Francisco Gomez Kodela starting, playing tighthead prop. USA winger, Taku Ngwenya scored Biarritz´s try.

Toulon 25-22 Toulouse

Pumas backrower, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe completed a solid return to play the full 80 minutes for Toulon in the 8 shirt. His Pumas teammate, Patricio Albacete played the full match for the visitors. Scrumhalf Nicolás Vergallo missed out.

Perpignan 34-22 Lyon

Pumas Backrower Juan Manuel Leguizamón played until the 72nd minute for the visitors but only played 62 minutes as he was yellowcarded in the first half.

Brive 9-23 Bordeaux

Two former Pumas props featured for Brive with Pablo Henn playing loosehead and Pablo Cardinali playing the final 10 minutes as a replacement. Scrumhalf Agustín Figuerola did not feature. Former Pumas winger, Rafael Carballo played the full match for Bordeaux. Flyhalf Nicolás Sánchez did not play.

Bayonne 31-10 Agen

None of Agen´s three Pumas featured.

Castres 30-19 Clermont

No players from the Americas featured.

Racing Métro 19-13 Stade Français

Six Pumas players featured in the Paris derby with Juan Martín Hernández playing the full match at flyhalf and Juan Imhoff doing so on the left wing. Juan Orlandi was a second half replacement. Felipe Contepomi and Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga formed the 10-12 combination for Stade Français and Rodrigo Roncero played loosehead prop.

Top 14 Standings
1 Toulouse 83
2 Clermont 82
3 Toulon 69 
4 Montpellier 66
5 Castres 65
6 Racing Métro 63
7 Stade Français 58
8 Bordeaux 49
9 Perpignan 49
10 Biarritz 48
11 Agen 48
12 Bayonne 47
13 Brive 42
14 Lyon 31

* Play-Offs
* Facing Relegation
* Relegated

Montpellier vs Biarritz (Try González Amorosino)


Toulon vs Toulouse (Palisson try)


Perpignan vs Lyon

USAP/LOU (34-22) : le résumé vidéo por LOURugby1896

Brive vs Bordeaux

BRIVE UNION ESSAIS por ubbrugby

Castres vs Clermont

Castres-ASM : Le Résumé por asm

Racing Métro vs Stade Français

RM92 v SF - Le résumé en vidéo por racingmetro92

Amorosino vs Bosch

Bosch (left) and González Amorosino (21) will face over in France tonight

Round 25 of the Top14 kicks off latter on today in France with last years finalists, Montpellier playing host to Biarritz at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir. It is a key match for the home side who despite being in the top four are not yet guaranteed a play in the barrage play-off´s. Montpellier are six points ahead of Stade Français who are in seventh place but the all-Paris battle at the Stade de France on Saturday could well shake things up ahead of the final round which sees Montpellier play away vs Toulouse. Biarritz also have a tough final match, at home vs Stade Français and the away match today vs Montpellier can only be viewed as a must win encounter due to the clubs position in the standings - five points ahead of Bayonne and Brive as well as two points ahead of Bordeaux and Perpignan. The bottom team will be departing to the Pro d2 alongside Lyon. 

Aside from today´s match having a lot of importance it is also going to be an extremely interesting one for Pumas followers as it offers a rare match-up of Lucas González Amorosino vs Marcelo Bosch. For the first time ever the two Pumas backs will go head-to-head at fullback for their respective French clubs. González Amorosino has been Montepllier´s fullback all season and is entereing the match as the form fullback in the Top 14. Bosch has been used at 13 and 10 for Biarritz this season and will start at 15 for the first time since 2009 when he was in good form in the position for Biarritz before having his season ended in October of that year with a serious knee injury.

The Pumas pair will be joined by fellow Argentine players on both sides with Santiago Fernández returning frmo a knock-out he suffered vs Clermont on April 20. Martín Bustos Moyano has also recovered from a minor injury to start on the left wing and will be the teams goalkicker. Up front Juan Figallo and Agustín Creevy will start in the frontrow while Maximilano Bustos is on the bench. Figallo will be facing a potential Pumas prop in the making with Francisco Goméz Kodela starting at tighthead prop for Biarritz.

Montpellier
15 González Amorosino
14 Nagusa
13 Doumayrou
12 Fernández
11 Bustos Moyano
10 Trinh-Duc

9 Tomas

8 Tulou

7 Gorgodze

6 Ouedraogo

5 Privat

4 Hancke

3 Jgenti

2 Creevy

1 Figallo

Biarritz

15 Bosch

14 Ngwenya

13 Gimenez

12 Traille

11 Baby

10 Peyrelongue

9 Lesgourgues

8 Gray

7 Lakafia

6 Lauret

5 Taele

4 Thion

3 Goméz Kodela

2 August

1 Barcella

The Rugby Championship Players to Watch - Santiago Fernández

November 22, 2008 was a date that no Pumas fan had wished for. It was Argentina facing Ireland at Croke Park without both its flyhalves and its third choice player too. Having been named to start, Juan Martín Hernández had to withdraw from playing one hour before kickoff. Felipe Contepomi had been ruled out of the match with an infection in his arm, while Marcelo Bosch had undergone shoulder reconstruction surgery and was unavaliable. In place of these three European professionals Argentina gave a first ever test start to 22 year old Santiago Fernández. He was a promising player, based in Buenos Aires playing for the Hindú club. He had made his international debut one week earlier vs Italy in Los Pumas´ 22-14 win in Torino. Headcoach Santiago Phelan had brought in on in the late stages to get some game time and he played on the wing. 

Fernández was a part of the PladAR system at the time of his debut for Los Pumas. He had been identified as a player of the future and in May 2009 he played in Los Jaguares´ home series matches vs Namibia. It was not his first time playing for the Argentina A side, however, as he had made his first appearance in 2007 playing in the IRB Nations Cup in Romania where he took on Italy A, Namibia and South Africa A. Around the same time that Los Jaguares were playing Namibia, Felipe Contepomi was playing for Leinster vs Munster in the Heineken Cup Semi Final. Contepomi started the match strongly but injured his knee badly and was forced to undergo surgery. As such, Argentina would not be able to field the 10-12 combination of Hernández and Contepomi at all in 2009. Phelan selected Miguel Avramovic at 12 to face England in Manchester with Fernández on the bench. The following week, Phelan made changes after Argentina had been badly beaten, and he went for the 10-12 combination of Hernández and Fernández. Los Pumas´s win in Salta that day was a defining moment in the transition from Rugby World Cup 2007 to 2011. From the 2007 team only Hernández and Horacio Agulla remained in the backline. Gonzalo Camacho and Lucas González Amorosino were new comers to the team with Agulla playing at fullback. It was also the final test for Rimas Alvarez Kairellis.

Fernández vs Wales, 2009

The changes for the June series proved to be beneficial for November 2009 when Argentina faced an nothing less than an injury crisis in the backs. Contepomi had not recovered from injury yet while Bosch had returned to play fullback for Biarritz only to badly injury his knee and require reconstruction surgery. Hernández was also forced out, with a back injury he picked up playing in South Africa that required surgery. This saw Santiago Fernández moving from 12 to 10 where he started in a new combination with the uncapped Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga for Argentina´s tour of England, Wales and Scotland. The pair played the full 80 minutes of the three tests despite both being amateur players. The lack of international experience didn´t stop Argentina collecting a narrow in at Murrayfield. The match underlined both players as ones for the future. 

The following year saw the creation of Los Pampas XV and the teams involvement in South Africa´s Vodacom Cup. Before the season had started Fernández had been rumoured to being offered a deal to play Super Rugby for either the Stormers in South Africa or the Western Force in Australia. Neither rumour proved to be true but following his involvement in the Vodacom Cup he was signed on a two year deal for Montpellier to play in the French Top 14 in May 2010. The following month he was starting at inside centre for Los Pumas with Felipe Contepomi back from injury playing flyhalf and Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga playing fullback. Signs were positive as Argentina scored its biggest ever win over France. The same combination would go on to be used for Argentina´s November tour of Europe with Fernández starting vs Italy and France at inside centre. He was rested, however, for the test vs Ireland.

Fernández scores for Montpellier

In the meantime Fernández was a starter for a team making plenty of headlines in France, Montpellier. Fernández´s arrival for the 2010-2011 season had been to give the club depth as François Trinh-Duc needed a solid deputy. Within no time, however, Fernández was the clubs starting inside centre and his constant game time has seen him improve as a player. He has been used at flyhalf on occassion, when Trinh-Duc has not been avaliable and has proven to be a solid option for the club. Fernández at 12 was a tryscorer in Montpellier´s history making Semi Final triumph over Racing Métro last season. The teams success involved Fernández and two other Pumas - Martín Bustos Moyano and Juan Figallo. The 2011-2012 season has been just as good for Fernández with him again playing plenty of rugby, usually in the 12 shirt but also playing 10 and doing a good job in place of Trinh-Duc.

Following Rugby World Cup 2011 the team´s Argentine players has doubled from three to six with Agustín Creevy, Maximilano Bustos and Lucas González Amorosino all joining and playing regularly. The six players are all likely to feature in The Rugby Championship with Santiago Fernández looking a certainty for the match day 22 to, in the least, be wearing the teams number 21 shirt. The most logical scenario is for Fernández to play 12 outside Juan Martín Fernández but the form of Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga at 12 for Stade Français gives Santiago Phelan the luxury of having more quality options than ever before.

Week One: Juan Manuel Leguizamón

Week Two: Lucas González Amorosino

Week Three: Marcelo Bosch

Week Four: Agustín Creevy

Week Five: Juan Martín Hernández 
Week Six: Martín Bustos Moyano
Week Seven: Leonardo Senatore

Week Eight: Rodrigo Roncero
Week Nine: Gonzalo Camacho
Week Ten: Patricio Albacete
Week Eleven: Horacio Agulla
Week Twelve: Juan Figallo
Week Thirteen: Santiago Fernández
Week Fourteen: Tomás Cubelli

Leandro Cedaro - Future Puma to play in the Top 14?

After playing 50 matches for Mont de Marsan in France´s second division (Pro d2) young Argentine secondrower, Leandro Cedaro has signed a contract for rival club La Rochelle.  The Atlantic club is sitting in second position in the Pro d2 and is virtually certain to make the Semi Finals. With Grenoble already having won promotion to next seasons Top 14, the winner of the Pro d2 will be the second team entering France´s elite rugby competition. Aside from La Rochelle the other sides who look like making up the Semi Finalists, for finishing second - fifth in the Pro d2 regular season are Dax, Pau and Carcassonne. Mont de Marsan and Albi could also qualify potentially. Should La Rochelle win promotion Cedaro would find himself playing Top 14 rugby, an ideal situation for a player looking to break into intenrnational rugby. Carcassonne could have a future Pumas next season too with Alejandro Nazur set to join the club.

Cedaro´s future could well see him playing for Argentina as he has been in contact with Santiago Phelan. Standing at 1,95 metres tall and weighing 122KG Cedaro has the physique to be an international rugby player. The coming weeks will confirm whether he, indeed, has a chance of being a Puma. Such is the nail-bitting times for the 24 year old who could realize two dreams simultaneously - playing in the Top 14 and playing for Los Pumas.

What to do with Five Inform Wingers?

Horacio Agulla is in the form of his life this season with the Leicester Tigers. He has won the Player of the Month award twice and in addition to scoring six tries he has also been involved in creating others as he has been frequently going off his wing to be used to create options through the centres. Agulla is a working winger much more than being a finisher which explains why he has scored only four tries in his 34 test appearances for Argentina. Still aged only 27, Agulla is Argentina´s most experienced outside back and in 2009 was used as Argentina´s starting fullback. He made his debut as a 21 year old in 2005 vs Samoa.

Lucas González Amorosino scored the try of the World Cup last year to break Scottish hearts and has gone on to play outstanding rugby this season for Montpellier. His try vs Biarritz in his third game for the club set the tone for the rest of the season. Since the World Cup González Amorosino has played fifteen Top 14 matches and three Heineken Cup matches. He began the season on the right wing but has played every match since then at fullback, scoring six tries which all came with him ni the 15 shirt except for his sides home win over Racing Métro. González Amorosino stands a very good chance of winning the award for fullback of the year in the Top 14 and is highly likely to be used by Argentina in this position. He has played 14 tests and scored four tries for Argentina since his test debut vs Chile in December 2007.

Martín Bustos Moyano was left out of the World Cup squad due to carrying a minor injury during the lead up and because the coaches considered his skills to not be of the same level as other contenders. He is an accomplished player both as a winger and a goalkicker but is more famous because of the latter as he got Montpellier into the Top 14 Final last season, the first in the clubs history. The 26 year old has been used in all of the back-three positions by Montpellier and could, indeed, do the same for Argentina. He has only won one international cap, vs Chile in 2008 but his club career tells a different story altogether. He has played more rugby than any of the four other players, due to not playing in New Zealand 2011. This season Bustos Moyano has played 20 Top 14 matches, scoring 197 points including three tries. He has also played five Heineken Cup matches this season, scoring one try.    

Gonzalo Camacho is a player on form in England. Yesterday he was nominated for the award of Game Changer of the season in the Aviva Premiership. He was nominated alongside two other players,  making him one of the top three Game Changers in England and he stands a great chance of winning since the other two are from Sale Sharks, a club that has not impressed this season. The Exeter Chiefs winger has played 14 matches this season in the Aviva Premiership, scoring two tries - against London Irish and Northampton. Camacho has proven to be an 80 minute performer having only been replaced once all season and he has started every match that he played in for the Chiefs. He has also played four Amlin Challenge Cup matches this season and last season scored the winning try for the Harlequins in the final vs Stade Français. The 27 year old has thus far played 11 tests for Argentina, scoring four tries.

Juan Imhoff was an amateur but made the World Cup squad based on his performances for Los Pampas XV in the 2011 Vodacom Cup. His rise is an example of how far one can go in such a short amount of time. Imhoff is a speedster comparable perhaps to Wales´ Shane Williams in that he is small, but runs sharp lines and is difficult to stop. Racing Métro signed Imhoff as a Medical Joker as the club was missing players to injury but in no time he was able to break into the starting XV and has since been there permanently, scoring some great tries and regularly finding space. His first try, vs the Cardiff Blues has been followed by other great tries, the latest being vs Castres in early April. This season Imhoff has scored three tries in the Heineken Cup and three in the Top 14. He has played 18 matches this season for the Parisian club, starting thirteen times on the left wing, four times at fullback and coming into play once from the bench. Despite being a debutant he is a serious contender for the Top 14´s team of the year. Imhoff has played eight tests for Argentina, scoring nine tries. He is certain to be Argentina´s starting left winger this year and beyond as he is only 23 years old.

Could some play out of position?

Yes. Of the five players four have been used out of position for the English or French clubs. Agulla has played, on occassion at outside centre for Leicester and previously was used, at times, by Brive at fullback. Bustos Moyano has played on both wings and fullback for Montpellier while González Amorosino has been the clubs fullback to devastating effect this season. Imhoff was used at fullback but should be considered a specialist winger who can, if necessary, play fullback. 

Goalkicker?

Argentina´s weakness in recent years has been its goalkicking which was particularly clear in Los Pumas´ 13-9 loss to England in Rugby World Cup 2011. Neither Felipe Contepomi nor Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga was able to find the posts that evening in Dunedin and it cost Argentina victory. Argentina also had Santiago Fernández in the starting lineup and Marcelo Bosch was a first half replacement for Gonzalo Tiesi. Both players have been used, at times, to kick goals for their French clubs and have also kicked goals for Argentina. Neither player, however, is a reliable enough option and when both have played for Argentina outside Juan Martín Hernández the goalkicker has always been el Mago. 

Hernández is a better goalkicking option than Rodríguez Gurruchaga, Fernández or Bosch but not notably better. As such, an alternative goalkicker could well be the answer. In close matches goalkicking usually has a lot to do with who wins and who loses, Argentina were on the losing side in Dunedin for this reason. Should Argentina wish to field its best goalkicker then the player to look to would be Martín Bustos Moyano. The Montpellier goalkicker was one of the finds of the 2010-2011 season. His goalkicking accounted for 16 points in Montpellier´s 26-25 win over Racing Métro in the 2011 Top 14 Semi Final in Marseilles. His debut season saw the Córdoba winger score 283 points which made him the seasons third highest points scorer and the leading non-Frenchman. In the current season he has thus far scored 192 points underlining his crendentials as a goalkicker for Los Pumas.  

Could all five play together?

Yes it is indeed a possibility that may well have passed through the mind of Santiago Phelan. If he wanted to field them all it could happen with four starting and a fifth playing on the bench. Gonzalo Tiesi is currently in Pensacola, Florida training hard to return for Argentina this June. The Stade Français centre has only played two matches for the club this season due to injury. His spot could indeed be underthreat from not only Marcelo Bosch, who filled the void very well at the World Cup, but also Horacio Agulla who merits a starting place due to his form. This could see him move to the midfield. With González Amorosino appearing certain for the 15 shirt and Imhoff for the 11 shirt this would mean either Bustos Moyano or Camacho would play in the 14 shirt. If goalkicking is to be a true motivating factor in selection then Bustos Moyano should indeed start , probably, two out of the three June test matches.

The option of having such a lineup would work into the hands of Tati Phelan who has previously gone for the option of selecting a bench with only two back so that he could have the option of two props in he reserves. Should he indeed have Agulla at 13 and Amorosino at 15 then the need for an outside back reserve would appear to be nil. Argentina´s other players can more than make up for what is missing. Should Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga play 12 for Argentina like he has been for Stade Français all season then he could certainly be moved to 13 or 15 if need be. A player like Bosch would be the ideal number 22 in this situation as he has played 10, 12, 13 and 15 for Biarritz during his career with the club. 

Agustín Pichot´s try in 2007 Top 14 Final

Three months before the kick-off of Rugby World Cup 2007, Stade Français took on Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 Final at the same venue as the sports showcase tournament´s opening fixture - the Stade de France. The match marked history with a foreign player, Agustín Pichot, captaining a team to glory in French rugby. Pichot´s try in the 68th minute was the first of the match and proved to be the turning point in the final as Clermont had been leading 15-9 with Australian Brock James responsible for all his teams points thanks to his goalkicking. The try  was a great way of showing kids the art of the scrumhalf position as Pichot bossed around his forwards to advance with the players doing what they were told. At the same time he remained in constant contact with his flyhalf and with Stade Français four metres from the try line and looking dangerous Pichot sold a dummy pass to his flyhalf which Clermont bought 

Pichot was joined by three fellow Pumas in the Stade Français team that evening. Rodrigo Roncero and Pedro Ledesma were the teams starting props and Juan Martín Hernández was the flyhalf. There was a forth Argentine in the team with the Argentine-Italian, Sergio Parisse coming off the bench in the secondhalf. Clermont also had three Argentine players with Mario Ledesma starting at hooker and Martín Scelzo at tighthead prop and backrower Gonzalo Longo entered the match as a secondhalf replacement. 

Hernández was the player of the match and was in the best form of his career he landed the conversion to put Stade Français in the lead. Clermont reclaimed the lead with James landing his sixth penalty but it was to be Stade Français´day as Hernández threw a long cut out pass to Australian international Radiki Samo who dived over in the corner. With Hernández´s conversion, the Parisians claimed the title with a 23-18 victory.

For complete highlights of the match see here.

Stade Français pay tribute to Rodrigo Roncero

The loss of Rodrigo Roncero to global rugby is comparable to reent retirement of Welsh Wizard Shane Williams or South Africa´s Victor Matfield. Such is the talents of Roncero who had the drafts of loosehead prop play understood perfectly and was extremely well regarded and respected by the global rugby public. However, the true measure of a player is often not what is seen on tv but what occurs behind the scenes. The off-field things which usually never get revealed. It is the respect that ones teammates have for a player which are at the heart of the true values of rugby and Roncero was respected by his peers in the highest regard. 

The following video was posted on the official site of Stade Français. Merci Rorro!

Merci Rodrigo Roncero - Stade TV
 Les joueurs ont tenu à remercier Rodrigo Roncero pour l'ensemble de sa carrière au Stade Français Paris.

Mots-clés : stade français paris rugby hommages messages rodrigo roncero

Video de adminstade

Merci Rodrigo Roncero - Stade TV

The Rugby Championship Players To Watch - Juan Figallo

Following the retirement of Omar Hasan in 2008 Argentina were left with a massive burden that some felt could not possibly be filled. New Pumas headcoach, Santiago Phelan named two new props in his squad for Argentina´s November tour that year. They were Juan Orlandi and Juan Figallo. Orlandi was playing his rugby in Italy for Rovigo and he was considered by Argentine assistant coach and Rugby World Cup 1999 and 2003 prop Mauricio Reggiardo as being a player of real potential. Orlandi´s chance came in the first test of the November tour when he started vs France at tighthead prop. His performances were not to the level of Hasan or the injuured Martín Scelzo but he, nevertheless, impressed enough to attract the interest of Top 14 club Racing Métro. The Parisian club signed him for the 2009-2010 season and he remains at the club today. His place in Los Pumas, however, proved to not be long term as he lost the Pumas tighthead position in June 2009 and has been unable to win it back. Phelan did not select Orlandi for Rugby World Cup 2011 instead opting for the youthful pair of Juan Figallo and Maximilano Bustos to join the experienced trio of Rodrigo Roncero, Martín Scelzo and Marcos Ayerza. 

The same season that Orlandi joined Racing Métro was also the same time that Figallo joined Montpellier to also play at the elite level in France. Figallo had toured Europe in November with Los Pumas but had been selected as a young player, aged only 21 and did not recieve any game time. Phelan had picked the young Salta prop as he saw great potential in him but did not think the timing was correct for him to play at the senior level. He would, infact, have to wait 24 months to make his test debut as he was injured for the November 2009 tour of Europe and therefore missed out altogether. His debut came vs France from the bench in Argentina´s record breaking 41-13 victory vs France. He then featured vs Italy and France in November 2010, again both times from the bench. Debuting vs France is not a normal thing as while Figallo debuted vs France, virtually all other Pumas made their first appearances vs South American opposition. 

Figallo at loosehead prop for Montpellier

With Phelan leaving out Orlandi from Argentina´s World Cup squad it came as a surprize to many to see five props named. Orlandi had been seen as a bench player and a possibility to start vs Romania and Georgia at tighthead prop. Phelan had other ideas and he shocked many people by naming Figallo at tighthead prop to face Wales in Argentina´s only official warm-up match before Rugby World Cup 2011. Figallo was starting for Argentina for the first time ever and it was Argentina´s last match before taking on England to open the World Cup campaign for both teams. Figallo´s selection was not such a surprize, howver, to followers of French rugby. His inclusion in the starting XV was welcomed but it did have an unexpected side to it as he had been used all season for Montpellier at loosehead prop. Figallo was a key player for Montpellier in the teams history making appearance in the Top 14 Final last season. He went up against the highly regarded Samoan prop, Census Johnson in the frontrow. The 130KG monster was on the backfoot, however as Figallo controlled the scrums and also ahd a highly visible performance around the park. He recieved plenty of praise from the French media and live commentary during the final. 

Figallo, Ledesma and Roncero

The result was that he had gone ahead of veteran 35 year old Martín Scelzo and had earned Argentina´s #3 shirt. In New Zealand 2011 he proved to be the right choice as he lived up to the reputation of being a Pumas tighthead prop and made the #3 shirt his own. Figallo  packed down in the frontrow with the veteran pair of Rodrigo Roncero at looshead prop and Mario Ledesma at hooker. Figallo won the award for being the best player from Pool B in the World Cup and started every match of the World Cup for Argentina. He stood out in the scrums and on defence. He also came within an inch of scoring a try vs England. Had he scored, Argentina would have gone on to win the match. The following week he went over for a try vs Romania, his first in international rugby. 

With Argentina set to play twelve tests in 2012 and debut in The Rugby Championship the skills of Figallo will become more known than ever before. His physique is ideal for a tighthead prop and he has the potential to really stand out and deliver for his country. Teams facing Argentina who are not strong in the frontrow could suffer greatly with Australia appearing to be such an example as the Wallabies continue to lack players of quality at both loosehead and tighthead prop. Figallo is now likely to lead Argentina forward together with Marcos Ayerza and Agustín Creevy as the new look frontrow. 

Week One: Juan Manuel Leguizamón

Week Two: Lucas González Amorosino

Week Three: Marcelo Bosch

Week Four: Agustín Creevy

Week Five: Juan Martín Hernández 
Week Six: Martín Bustos Moyano
Week Seven: Leonardo Senatore

Week Eight: Rodrigo Roncero
Week Nine: Gonzalo Camacho
Week Ten: Patricio Albacete
Week Eleven: Horacio Agulla
Week Twelve: Juan Figallo
Week Thirteen: Santiago Fernández

Rodrigo Roncero scores in final appearance in Paris

Roncero leaves with captain Parisse for the last time in Paris. rugbyrama.fr

The professional future of Rodrigo Roncero is coming to a close. This season will be his last as a professional and appropriately he scored the first try of the match for Stade Français vs Perpignan in Paris on Saturday. The try was scored from an overthrown Perpignan lineout which Roncero caught and dived over to the delight of his teammates. Fellow Argentine internationals, Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga and Felipe Contepomi were quick to congratulate him as was the Argentine-Italian, Sergio Parisse but it was a try celebrated by all Stade Français players and supporters. Coach Michael Cheika was ful of compliments before and after the match and was wearing a Merci Rorro t-shirt during the match to pay tribute to the 35 year old Puma.

Having played for the Parisian club since 2004, Roncero is now to return to Buenos Aires to raise his three daughters and to take up a career as a doctor. In Rocnero´s postmatch interview he was very emotional as held his two year old daughter and had his two elder daughters either side of him. Roncdro´s eight year stay in France has seen him win the French Championship with the dominant Stade Français team in 2006-2007. He was considered the best prop of Rugby World Cup 2007 and many also considered him to still be the best around in 2011. While his club future will end in May, unless Stade Français qualify for the Top 14 Orange Final, his international future remains unknown. In an interview with espnscrum Roncero said he will be talking with coach Santiago Phelan over the coming days to confirm whether or not he will play in The Rugby Championship. The same site also posted an interview with Roncero who talked (in Spanish) about his career in Paris.

French Top 14 - Round 24 Wrap

Rodrigo Roncero scores for Stade Français stade.fr

Round 24 of the 2012-2013 French Top 14 confirmed Lyon OU´s relegation back to the Pro d2 after the club lost its bottom of the table clash with Bayonne. The result means France´s second largest city´s stay in the elite of French rugby has been restricted to a single season. It is not yet clear as to which team will be joining Lyon OU in the second division next season but it would appear to be either Bayonne or Brive as the two clubs are tied on 42 points, with both Perpignan and Bordeaux-Begles three points ahead in the standings.  The two remaining rounds are going to be highly nervous times for these clubs with a key match taking place between Brive and Bordeaux-Begles. Bayonne have the tough prospect of facing Agen and then Castres in its final two matches. The highest likelihood would therefore be that Bayonne will be the team joining Lyon in the Pro d2. There is also the remote possibility that any team from the eighth ranked Agen to teams with fewer points being relegated as Bayonne and Brive could both win up to ten points from their remaining matches. 

Clermont 22-9 Montpellier

Yet another home win for the central French side sees Clermont go into its Heineken Cup Semi Final next weekend with confidence. Clermont will take on Irish province, Leinster in Bordeaux with the winner to face either Ulster or Edinburgh for Europe´s ultimate prize in Twickenham in May. Both Clermont and Montpellier were forced to field some second choice players. Clermont was without captain Aurelin Rougerie, Julien Malzieu and Canada´s Jamie Cudmore. Montpellier was missing François Trinh-Duc and  Georgia´s Mamuka Gorgodze. for the match Santiago Fernández played flyhalf rather than inside centre and left the field injured in the secondhalf. He had kicked two penalties after taking over the duties from Martín Bustos Moyano who after kicking an early penalty was also forced from the field with an injury. A third Argentine back started in the line with Lucas González Amorosino playing fullback. Montpellier´s three Pumas frontrowers also recieved game time with Agustín Creevy starting at hooker and Juan Figallo at loosehead prop. Maximilano Bustos came on at tighthead prop in the 62nd minute. USA centre, Seta Tuiveluka is set to return to the team shortly. He got married this weekend!

Bordeaux-Begles 29-15 Agen

A vital win in this derby match could well prove the difference for Bordeaux-Begles as the club has come to be threatened with relegation again following Bayonne´s surprizing two wins over the past two weeks. The club responded well by playing its best match in quite some time to score a bonus point win. Two former Pumas back featured in this match with Rafael Carballo playing the full 80 minutes on the right wing for Bordeaux-Begles and Miguel Avramovic coming off the bench in the 47th minute for Agen to play in the centres. Both are possibilities for Argentina in The Rugby Championship as injury covering players.

Lyon 19-20 Bayonne

Lyon never should have lost this match. Incredibly, Lyon held a 19-7 lead at halftime and failed to score a point after the interval. The teams lack of a quality flyhalf had a lot to do with the downfall of Lyon but the season has been a learning curve and the club should return to the Top 14 stronger after recruiting better players. The club has already confirmed the arrival of Sebastien Chabal. he is not the player he once was but he is certain to be highly influencial in the locker room. The match featured Argentine backrower, Juan Manuel Leguizamón who played the full 80 minutes for Lyon in the 8 shirt.

Stade Français 35-31 Perpignan

Stade Français gave a perfect home send-off to the long time serving loosehead prop, Rodrigo Roncero. The 35 year old turned down an offer to extend his contract with the club to instead return home to Argentina with his wife to raise his three daughters. It also appears that he will retire from all rugby, handing the Argentine number 1 shirt to Marcus Ayerza of Leicester. Roncero scored the first try of the match, going over in the 29th minute after he caught a Perpignan lineout which was overthrown. He was joined by his international captain, Felipe Contepomi who continued his 10-12 partnership with Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga. All three started with Roncero being replaced in the 78th minute. The USA also had a player involved for the Parisians with Scott LaValla playing the final five minutes. The Argentine-Italian, Sergio Parisse played in the backrow too. At the start of the match Roncero and Dimitri Szarzewski entered the fieled together, both playing for the final time in a ome Stade Français match.

Toulouse 30-21 Brive

Brive had been leading 18-15 at half time and looking the goods for a victory but Toulouseps goalkicking got the underperfoming French powerhouses home in the end and prevented Brive from collecting a bonus point. As such Brive are now facing the reality of being relegated The club now must defeat Bordeaux-Begles next round or hope for a miracle away victory over Clermont in the final round. A strong candidate for the Pumas captaincy, Patricio Albacete put in another solid showing as he played the full 80 minutes in the secondrow for Toulouse. Pumas scrumhalf, Nicolás Vergallo did not feature for Toulouse and the chance of him facing his Argentine rival, Agustín Figuerola did not eventuate as Brive also left him outside of the match day 23. Former Pumas loosehead prop, Pablo Henn returned to start in the frontrow for Brive. The result means Toulouse and Clermont are confirmed in the Semi Finals and will have a bye round during the barrage play-off´s 

Biarritz 22-13 Racing Métro

After Racing Métro scored a try in the 52nd minute it looked as though this was going to be a Parisian victory. The relegation threatened Biarritz side dug deep, however, as the Basque side responded with a dropgoal to Damien Traille and the returning Marcelo Bosch then sealed the match with a perfect long pass to the USA´s  Taku Ngwenya in the 71st minute. Bosch came on as a replacement for Biarritz and played the final quarter of the contest. Ngwenya started and was playing against Argentine winger, Juan Imhoff. The battle of the two speedsters was interesting with Ngwenya having to, on two occassions in the second half, use all his speed to stop Imhoff from what would have otherwise been tries. Francisco Gomez Kodela continues to look more and more like a Puma as he played the full match at tighthead prop for Biarritz and was impressive at scrum time. The Argentine pair of Manuel Carizza and Eusebio Guiñazú were both unused from the bench for Biarritz. Racing Métro had five Argentine players with Imhoff being joined in the backs by Juan Martín Hernández who played the full 80 minutes at flyhalf. El Mago was let down by his inside centre as Fabrice Estebanez had a poor showing. Juan Orlandi came on in the 66th minute to play tighthead prop for the Parisians while Alvaro Galindo was a 60th minute replacement in the backrow.  The Argentine-Italian Santiago Dellapé started in the secondrow. 

Toulon 25-25 Castres
A strange performance from the home team may allowed Castres to collect a draw from this match and as such complicate matters greatly for Stade Français. Toulon had been leading the match 25-6 and looked in firm control but the team´s star imports failed to deliver and despite scoring three tries to one Castres managed to fight back to collect a draw as the Scotland of French rugby did it again. Jonny Wilkinson had a lot to do with Toulon´s failure as he landed only 4 of his 7 attempts at goal, missing a simple penalty for his tandards late in the match which would have meant a Toulon victory. The draw puts Castres on 61 points, two ahead of Racing Métro in 6th place and four points ahead of Stade Français. With only the top six making the play-off´s it would appear that Castres are now safe but the club faces Clermont next round. Los Pumas´ backrower, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe continues his come back from knee surgery and came on in the 54th minute for Toulon. Uruguay´s Rodrigo Capó Ortega did not feature for Castres.

Top 14 Orange Standings
1 Clermont 82
2 Toulouse 82
3 Toulon 65
4 Montpellier 62
6 Castres 61
6 Racing Métro 59
7 Stade Français 57
8 Agen 48
9 Biarritz 47
10 Bordeaux 45
11 Perpignan 45 
12 Brive 42
13 Bayonne 42
14 Lyon 31

* Play-off´s spots
* Threatened with relegation
* Relegation confirmed

Clermont vs Montpellier

ASM-Montpellier : Le Résumé por asm

Agen Tries (Bordeaux-Begles vs Agen)


Stade Français vs Perpignan

Résumé du match Stade Français USAP Avril 2012 por USAP_Communication

Toulouse vs Brive


Toulon vs Castres

Résumé Toulon-Castres por rctoulon