Injury-hit Argentina call up Moroni as Bristol centre nears 100-cap milestone

Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi has been dealt a double injury blow ahead of the Pumas’ November tour, with full-back/fly-half Santiago Carreras and prop Thomas Gallo both ruled out of the Nations Championship fixtures against Ireland, Italy, and France.

Carreras limped off in the 13th minute of Bath’s 23-5 derby defeat to Gloucester on Friday, sustaining what appears to be a serious lower-limb injury. The 70-cap international watched the remainder of the match on crutches and is due to undergo a scan to determine the full extent of the damage. His place in the squad has been taken by 25-year-old Mateo Soler, who made his Test debut off the bench against Australia last month.

Gallo’s withdrawal due to a wrist injury opens the door for Dragons prop Rodrigo Martinez, who has earned four caps across a five-year international career, to add to his tally.

The more intriguing development concerns centre Matías Moroni, who has been called up as standby cover for Santiago Chocobares. The Toulouse centre received a head knock at the weekend and his involvement now depends on the outcome of a head injury assessment. Should Chocobares be stood down, Moroni — currently sitting on 99 caps — would be in line to become the latest member of Argentina’s centurions club, 12 years after his Pumas debut.

Moroni’s path to the milestone has not been straightforward. A facial injury sustained in the defeat to Australia in Jujuy at the end of August left him stranded on 99 caps, and he was subsequently omitted from Argentina’s original November squad entirely.

If he does reach the landmark, Moroni would join a select group of Pumas centurions. Currently, former fly-half Nicolás Sánchez is the only back to have reached 100 caps, with the other members of the club being captain Pablo Matera, Julián Montoya, Agustín Creevy, and Matías Alemanno — the latter two of whom, along with Guido Petti, reached the milestone as recently as July.

Argentina, now in camp in London, open their Northern Hemisphere tour against Ireland on 6 November, followed by Italy on 14 November and France on 21 November.