Felipe Contepomi has named a 34-man roster for the Rugby Championship. The revamped roster sees returning established names joining newcomers for the second of three periods of Argentina’s international rugby competition in 2025.
Los Pumas opened 2025 with an away match in Europe. Argentina took-on and defeated the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, Ireland. It was followed by home losses against England in La Plata and San Juan and a home win over Uruguay in Salta.
Contepomi’s Pumas now turn their attention to the All Blacks. Argentina play host to New Zealand at the Estadio Mario Kempes in Córdoba on August 16 and at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on August 23. The series will be first and second rounds fixtures of the 2025 Rugby Championship. The teams split the results in 2024 as Argentina won in Wellington and New Zealand won in Auckland.
Foto: Gaspafotos
ROSTER – RETURNING PLAYERS
Felipe Contepomi rotated players in the June and July Internationals. With World Rugby yet to enforce a global season, there is no off-season for players based in Europe due to the dates of the Rugby Championship. Contepomi addressed this by resting different players at different times.
Five members of his roster for the Rugby Championship are yet to play for Los Pumas in 2025. All of them play their rugby for Top 14 clubs in France. They are: Ignacio Ruiz, Marcos Kremer, Santiago Chocobares, Bautista Delguy and Juan Cruz Mallía.
MISSING PUMAS
Selection has seen some notable players missing out. Matías Moroni has been dropped for the first time in more than three years. He was a constant throughout Contepomi’s rookie season in charge in 2024 and also in the matches thus far in 2025.
Veteran second-rowers Matías Alemanno and Tomás Lavanini have also not been selected. Neither man has played this year for Los Pumas. Alemanno’s last appearance was against Italy in November while Lavanini last played for his country in last year’s Rugby Championship.
Facundo Isa sat out 2024 voluntarily as did fellow Rugby World Cup 2023 back-rower Rodrigo Bruni. Isa returned to face England in July. However, neither he nor Bruni is on the roster for the Rugby Championship. Fellow back-rower Joaquín Moro has also been left out.
In addition to Moroni, there is no place for regular scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou. There is also no recall for Jerónimo de la Fuente and Matías Orlando. Contepomi has opted for others in place of these veterans. Rookie Benjamín Elizalde played fullback against England and Uruguay in July but also covers outside center and wing.
INJURED PUMAS
Injuries have also impacted selection. Benjamín Grondona, who debuted in July, is out injured as is Thomas Gallo who was less busy than normal for Argentina in June and July. Winger Emiliano Boffelli is now fit-again but has only just returned to playing.
Further names who are sidelined are loose head prop Ignacio Calles, tight head prop Eduardo Bello and second-rower Efraín Elías. Ignacio Calles was injured playing for Pau earlier this year. Eduardo Bello was injured playing against Australia in 2024 while Efraín Elías is recovering from a fracture. He trained with the team earlier this year.
UNCAPPED AND RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP ROOKIES
Two players on Argentina’s roster are uncapped. Of them one has played for Los Pumas but caps were not awarded in the match. Loose Head Prop Boris Wenger was a replacement for Argentina against the British & Irish Lions. the match was not awarded caps.
The other uncapped player is Gerónimo Prisciantelli. He utility back has made the move from Zebre to Racing 92. He played fifteen matches in the 2024-2025 URC season for Zebre Parma. All of them were in the starting lineup with fourteen of them being at fullback and one at fly half. The player himself says “I like playing at 10, it is where I have always played.”
Seven others join the uncapped players as Pumas in their rookie campaign. They are Bautista Bernasconi, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Nicolás D’Amorim, Simón Benítez Cruz, Agustín Moyano, Benjamín Elizalde and Justo Piccardo.
ARGENTINA ROSTER – AUGUST 2025
#1 LOOSE HEAD PROP
Photo: Shaun Roy / Gaspafotos /
Foto: Gaspafotos / UAR
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
NAHUEL TETAZ CHAPARRO
MAYCO VIVAS
BORIS WENGER
Age: 36
Age: 27
Age: 23
Height: 1.88m
Height: 1.86 kg
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 121kg
Weight: 126 kg
Weight: 110kg
Debut: vs Chile (2010)
Debut: vs New Zealand (2019)
Debut: uncapped
Caps: 78
Caps: 30
Caps: –
Club: Benetton (IT)
Club: Oyonnax (FR)
Club: Dogos
#2 HOOKER
Foto: ESPN Argentina
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: Gaspafotos
BAUTISTA BERNASCONI
JULIÁN MONTOYA
IGNACIO RUIZ
Age: 23
Age: 31
Age: 24
Height: 1.74m
Height: 1.84m
Height: 1.87m
Weight: 114kg
Weight: 108 kg
Weight: 112kg
Debut: vs England (2025)
Debut: vs Uruguay (2014)
Debut: vs Scotland (2022)
Caps: 3
Caps: 108
Caps: 17
Club: Benetton (IT)
Club: Pau (FR)
Club: Perpignan (FR)
#3 TIGHT HEAD PROP
Foto: Prensa UAR
Foto: Prensa UAR / Gaspafotos
Foto: Prensa UAR / Gaspafotos
FRANCISCO CORIA MARCHETTI
PEDRO DELGADO
JOEL SCLAVI
Age: 24
Age: 27
Age: 31
Height: 1.86m
Height: 1.85m
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 125 kg
Weight: 135kg
Weight: 137kg
Debut: vs Uruguay (2024)
Debut: vs South Africa (2024)
Debut: vs Scotland (2022)
Caps: 3
Caps: 4
Caps: 27
Club: Brive (FR)
Club: Dogos
Club: La Rochelle (FR)
#4 LOOSE HEAD SECOND-ROW
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
FRANCO MOLINA
GUIDO PETTI
Age: 27
Age: 30
Height: 1.98m
Height: 1.94m
Weight: 118kg
Weight: 111kg
Debut: vs France (2024)
Debut: vs Italy (2014)
Caps: 12
Caps: 89
Club: Western Force (AU)
Club: Harlequins (UK)
#5 TIGHT HEAD SECOND-ROW
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: UAR Prensa / Gaspafotos
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: 17
Caps: 23
Club: Bayonne (FR)
Club: Bristol Bears (UK)
# 6 FLANKER
Photo: Bristol Bears
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
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: 21
Caps: 112
Club: Bristol Bears (UK)
Club: Mia Honda Heat (JP)
#7 FLANKER
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: Gaspafotos
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
NICOLÁS D’AMORIM
JUAN MARTÍN GONZÁLEZ
MARCOS KREMER
Age: 24
Age: 24
Age: 28
Height: 1.86m
Height: 1.92m
Height: 1.99m
Weight: 101kg
Weight: 106kg
Weight: 115kg
Debut: vs Uruguay (2025)
Debut: vs Romania (2021)
Debut: vs New Zealand (2016)
Caps: 1
Caps: 42
Caps: 73
Club: Pampas
Club: Saracens (UK)
Club: Clermont (FR)
#8 EIGHT-MAN
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
JOAQUÍN OVIEDO
Age: 23
Height: 1.91m
Weight: 113kg
Debut: vs Australia (2021)
Caps: 13
Club: Perpignan (FR)
#9 SCRUM HALF
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: Prensa UAR
SIMÓN BENÍTEZ CRUZ
GONZALO GARCÍA
AGUSTÍN MOYANO
Age: 25
Age: 25
Age: 22
Height: 1.77m
Height: 1.73m
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 77kg
Weight: 77 kg
Weight: 75kg
Debut: vs England (2025)
Debut: vs New Zealand (2021)
Debut: vs England (2025)
Caps: 3
Caps: 11
Caps: 2
Club: Tarucas
Club: Zebre Parma (IT)
Club: Dogos
#10 FLY HALF
Foto: Prensa UAR
Foto: Gaspafotos
TOMÁS ALBORNOZ
GERÓNIMO PRISCIANTELLI
Age: 27
Age: 25
Height: 1.77m
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 84 kg
Weight: 88kg
Debut: vs Australia (2022)
Debut: uncapped
Caps: 17
Caps: –
Club: Benetton (IT)
Club: Racing 92 (FR)
#11 LEFT WING
Foto: Prensa UAR
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
MATEO CARRERAS
IGNACIO MENDY
Age: 25
Age: 24
Height: 1.72m
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 80 kg
Weight: 86 kg
Debut: vs Australia (2021)
Debut: vs South Africa (2021)
Caps: 27
Caps: 3
Club: Bayonne (FR)
Club: Benetton (IT)
#12/13 CENTER
Foto: Prensa UAR
Foto: J Gasparini / Gaspafotos
Foto: Prensa UAR
SANTIAGO CHOCOBARES
LUCIO CINTI
JUSTO PICCARDO
Age: 26
Age: 25
Age: 23
Height: 1.89m
Height: 1.90m
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 96kg
Weight: 91kg
Weight: 105kg
Debut: vs New Zealand (2020)
Debut: vs South Africa (2021)
Debut: vs Ireland (2024)
Caps: 27
Caps: 34
Caps: 4
Club: Toulouse (FR)
Club: Saracens (UK)
Club: Montpellier (FR)
#14 RIGHT WING
Foto: Gaspafotos
Foto: Prensa UAR
BAUTISTA DELGUY
RODRIGO ISGRÓ
Age: 28
Age: 25
Height: 1.82m
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 84kg
Weight: 100 kg
Debut: vs Wales (2018)
Debut: vs Australia (2023)
Caps: 33
Caps: 9
Club: Clermont (FR)
Club: Harlequins (UK)
#15 FULLBACK
Foto: Prensa UAR / Gaspafotos
Foto: Prensa UAR
Foto: E Raimondi / Gaspafotos
SANTIAGO CARRERAS
BENJAMÍN ELIZALDE
JUAN CRUZ MALLÍA
Age: 26
Age: 20
Age: 28
Height: 1.83m
Height: 1.88m
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 87 kg
Weight: 91 kg
Weight: 88kg
Debut: vs South Africa (2019)
Debut: vs England (2025)
Debut: vs Scotland (2018)
Caps: 55
Caps: 3
Caps: 42
Club: Gloucester (UK)
Club: Bristol Bears (UK)
Club: Toulouse (FR)
ARGENTINA – RESULTS JUNE + JULY 2025
ARGENTINA – RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2025