Kembali
Oct 22 - Argentina have named a 33-man squad for a training camp ahead of November's Nations Championship, recalling skipper Julian Montoya and several other regular starters who missed recent home tests against South Africa and Australia.
• Coach Felipe Contepomi has bolstered his backline options with flyhalf Tomas Albornoz, centre Santiago Chocobares, wingers Mateo Carreras and Bautista Delguy as well as fullback Juan Cruz Mallia.
• Up front, hooker Montoya, loose forwards Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer and Santiago Grondona as well as props Thomas Gallo and Joel Sclavi will bring a huge amount of test experience to the squad.
• There was no place for experienced centre Matias Moroni or locks Matias Alemanno and Franco Molina, while hooker Ignacio Ruiz and number eight Joaquin Oviedo missed out because of injury.
• With a squad shorn of many experienced players not released by their clubs, Argentina suffered home losses to South Africa and Australia in August and drew with the Wallabies in early September.
• The Pumas play Ireland in Dublin on November 6, Italy in Genoa on November 14 and France in Paris on November 21 before the Nations Championship finals weekend at Twickenham.
• Contepomi will name his final squad after next week's camp in London.
• "This camp is essential for us as a team because it will allow us to come together again after seven weeks with the full squad and continue building from where we left off," the coach said.
• "Our goal is to arrive in the best possible shape for the final stage of the Nations Championship, which will be very demanding, with top-level opponents."
• Forwards: Efrain Elias, Thomas Gallo, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Santiago Grondona, Marcos Kremer, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Julian Montoya, Francisco Moreno, Joaquin Moro, Leonel Oviedo, Guido Petti, Tomas Rapetti, Pedro Rubiolo, Juan Martin Scelzo, Joel Sclavi, Mayco Vivas, Boris Wenger.
• Backs: Tomas Albornoz, Simon Benitez Cruz, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Bautista Delguy, Gonzalo Garcia, Rodrigo Isgro, Juan Cruz Mallia, Ignacio Mendy, Agustin Moyano, Justo Piccardo, Geronimo Priscantelli, Faustino Sanchez Valarolo. REUTERS