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Javier Ortega Desio has been dropped from Los Jaguares XV. The N8 / flanker will not play for the Argentine team in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). The decision came from the staff. Head Coach Ignacio Fernández Lobbe explained the decision by pointing to youth.
The 30-year-old Ortega Desio was the starting N8 for Los Jaguares in the 2018 and 2019 Super Rugby seasons. Mario Ledesma converted this into him being Argentina’s starting player in the same position both years. It meant Facundo Isa was left out altogether as a player based in France.
Ortega Desio has 57 caps for Argentina. He played in Rugby World Cups 2015 and 2019. He was not selected for the 2019 Rugby Championship. Ledesma explained that his decision was based on the form of the player in 2020. Now in 2021, Ortega Desio is further out of favor.
There are no capped N8s on the roster. Included is Joaquín Oviedo. The teenager was on Argentina’s roster for the 2020 Tri Nations. Soo too was fellow uncapped back-rower Juan Martín González.
Of the seven back-rowers on the 30-man SLAR roster only one is capped. Francisco Gorrissen debuted in Argentina’s most recent test match. It was the final fixture of the 2020 Tri Nations; a draw against Australia in Sydney.
