It was recently announced that Kiwi Super Rugby franchise the Highlanders had acquired 20-year-old Argentinean prop Matias Diaz on a one-year deal.
Diaz is not the first Argentinean international to play Super Rugby – Tomas Leonardi and Nicolas Vergallo played for the Southern Kings last season before the club’s demotion from Super Rugby, while Juan Martin Hernandez played at the Sharks for a year in 2009 though was plagued by injury.
Still, the acquisition of Diaz could be the start of an influx of Argentineans in Super Rugby.
Matias Diaz is a talented young prop who could be a good signing for the Highlanders. His performances in the recent Junior World Championships in France showed he was certainly one for the future.
The young tighthead prop is an impervious and imposing figure at the scrum, weighing in at 120kg. The Highlanders will hope to see more of his scrummaging talents next season, especially as they have lost props Jamie Mackintosh and Tony Woodcock to the Chiefs and the Blues respectively.
Moreover, the Highlanders under the guidance of Jamie Joseph will want to improve on last season, where they were bottom of the New Zealand conference and finished 14th out of 15th overall– ahead of only the Southern Kings.
But seeing as an Argentinean team won’t grace Super Rugby in 2016-17 or even later, there is the prospect of several players from Argentina gracing Super Rugby.
World Cup winning coach Graham Henry has himself called for more Argentineans to be included in Super Rugby teams by allowing SANZAR to relax the cap on foreign players.
We have already seen this happen with 29-year-old lock Manuel Carizza signing with South African club the Stormers, while 20-year-old lock Tomas Lavanini is in the Chiefs’ Academy.
But within the current Argentinean squad there are quite a few experienced players who are without a club – fly-half/centre Santiago Fernandez, centre Joaquin Tuculet and tricky wing/fullback Lucas Gonzalo Amorosino, who broke Scottish hearts in the 2011 World Cup.
There are several prospects within the youth set-up, some like Diaz who have broken into the senior Pumas side, who would no doubt add much to Super Rugby.
One player within the youth set up that will no doubt set off a bidding war is young flanker Pablo Matera.
The 20-year-old has been a revelation since making his debut in July and has been omnipresent within the Pumas back row. His talents were shown in the last two editions of the Junior World Championship – his try against Australia in 2012 showed his determination.
His fierce tackling, rugged determination in the breakdown and excellent ball carrying skills have been showcased in this year’s Rugby Championship.
Matera has been a find for the Pumas and his performances have certainly generated interest among French teams within the Top 14.
The UAR would be happy for him to play in Super Rugby, especially as Top 14 clubs can at times be ‘abrasive’ when it comes to releasing players for internationals.
The large depth of potential forwards that could play in Super Rugby is not surprising, especially as the pack and loose forwards have always been a strong feature within Argentinean rugby.
There is also some fine young backline talent waiting to develop their careers who would be welcome additions in Super Rugby.
Fullback Santiago Cordero electrified the Junior World Championships, as well the Sevens circuit.
The 19-year-old, although small at 5’5″, has astonishing agility and quick feet. His exploits against France in last year’s JWC were brilliant to see, as he made a mockery of the French defence.
Seeing him in Super Rugby would be important for his development before making the jump to international level.
The second prospect is fly-half Patricio Fernandez, who loves to run with the ball, seek line breaks and take the game to the opposition.
His support play is excellent, he is eager to continue the attack and never lets off the pressure with his tactical kicking. His goal kicking is accurate, which keeps the scoreboard ticking and maintains control of the game.
As mentioned by Frankie Degas on NZ’s premier rugby show Reunion a few days ago, many within Argentina look to Fernandez as the next star of Argentinean rugby. His stock increased after being top points scorer (including four tries) in the Junior World Championships.
The arrival of players such as Matias Diaz and Manuel Carizza in Super Rugby will hopefully herald an influx of Argentinean players.
Their presence will no doubt give them added experience, benefit their national team and in future hopefully produce an Argentinean Super Rugby team – a symbol of the advancement rugby has undertaken in Argentina.
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