Contepomi names five uncapped players in Argentina squad as 91-cap Lavanini misses Nations Championship

Felipe Contepomi has named five uncapped players in his 34-man Argentina squad for the upcoming Nations Championship, with Los Pumas hosting Scotland in Córdoba on July 4, before facing Wales in San Juan and England in Santiago del Estero.

Among the uncapped quintet is Western Force hooker Leonel Oviedo, older brother of established number eight Joaquín Oviedo. The remaining four are domestic-based players competing in Super Rugby Americas: forwards Luciano Asevedo and Juan Penoucos, and backs Agustín Fraga and Mateo Soler.

Highlanders lock Tomás Lavanini, who has earned 91 caps for Los Pumas, has been left out of the squad, as has former first-choice scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou. A number of regular starters — Thomas Gallo, Juan Martin González, Juan Cruz Mallía and Pedro Rubiolo — also miss out through injury.

Twenty-four of the 34 players are based in France or the United Kingdom. Ten come from Gallagher Premiership clubs, including six from bottom-two sides Newcastle and Harlequins, with Saracens, Bath, Bristol and Leicester each contributing one player.

Harlequins lock Guido Petti sits two caps short of a century, while France-based prop Matías Alemanno needs just one appearance to reach the landmark. Four players involved in the Top 14 final between Toulouse and Montpellier on Saturday — Santiago Chocobares, Efraín Elías, Domingo Miotti and Justo Piccardo — will not be available for the opening match against Scotland.

Hosting three consecutive Tests on home soil is an unusual opportunity for Argentina, and Contepomi is eager to make the most of it.

“We are very happy to be back with the team and to start the year playing at home in front of our fans,” said Contepomi. “We are returning to Córdoba, San Juan, and Santiago del Estero, three provinces that have welcomed us so warmly in recent years.”

“The goal is to pick up where we left off last year and continue to strengthen ourselves as a team, striving for continuous improvement in every training session and match.”