Selknam finalize 40-man roster for SLAR

Selknam have finalized a 40-man roster for the Super Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). The Chilean franchise is one of six teams that will compete in the upcoming season. 2021 marks the second edition of SLAR.

The 40-man Selknam roster contains 35 Chileans and 5 Argentine players. Bautista Stavile, Patricio Baronio, and Ignacio Albornoz are all returning Argentine players from 2020. They are to be joined this year by Santiago Portillo, and Maximiliano Filizzola. Portillo joins from Los Ceibos and Filizzola from Los Pumas 7’s.

Two of the Chilean players are back from Europe. Ramón Ayarza has played in multiple divisions in France; He joins Selknam from Anglet. The prop also played in the Top 14 and Pro D2 for Bayonne as well as for both Montauban and Carcassonne in the Pro D2, and for ROC La Voulte in the Fédérale 1.

Franco Velarde joins Selknam from Barcelona. His return from Spain is a boost not only for Selknam but also for Los Cóndores. Chile are seeking to be competitive in the Americas RWC 2023 qualifiers. Indeed, Chile are targeting qualifying for a RWC for the first time.

The Chileans on the roster have been monitored over an extensive period of time. They were selected as part of Selknam’s roster following time in High Performance Centers and a series of matches in late 2020. They are to form the bulk of the Cóndores roster that does compete in RWC qualifiers.

Front-rower Salvador Lues was born in Peru to Chilean parents. The family returned to Chile immediately after his birth. He never lived in Lima and spent all his school years at Craighouse. He plays his rugby for the club of the same name, more commonly known in rugby circles as COBS.

Selknam have been training at CARR in La Reina for the past two weeks. The location is that of Santiago’s High Performance Rugby Center.

SLAR 2021 – SELKNAM ROSTER

FORWARDS
Salvador Lues (COBS), Santiago Pedrero (COBS), Alfonso Escobar (COBS), Anton Petrowitsch (COBS), Nicolás Garafulic (COBS), Diego Escobar (COBS), Bautista Stávile (Mendoza RC, Mendoza), Tomás Dussaillant (Old Boys), Clemente Saavedra (Old Boys), Martín Sigren (Old Boys), Ramón Ayarza (Old Boys), Manuel Ripamonti (Old Georgians), Iñaki Gurruchaga (Old Johns), Baltazar Gurruchaga (Old Johns), Thomas Orchard (Old Lions), Javier Carrasco (Old Reds), Raimundo Martínez (PWCC), Esteban Inostroza (PWCC), Ignacio Silva (PWCC), Agustín Pérez (Sporting), Santiago Portillo (Tarcos RC, Tucumán), Augusto Böhme (UC), Matías Dittus (UC), Javier Eissmann (UC)

BACKS
Felipe Castillo (Alumni), Maximiliano Filizzola (Marista, Mendoza), Diego Warnken (Alumni), Matías Garafulic (COBS), Rodrigo Fernández (COBS), Clemente Armstrong (DOBS), Patricio Baronio (Jockey Club, Rosario), Santiago Videla (Old Boys), Domingo Saavedra (Old Boys), Felipe Berry (Old Boys), Julio Blanc (Old Boys), Lukas Carvallo (PWCC), Lucca Avelli (PWCC), Ignacio Albornoz (Tucumán RC, Tucumán), José Larenas (UC), Franco Velarde (Viña Old Boys).

Click here to access the Selknam roster in greater details.