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Two teams in desperate need of wins will lock-horns in Curicó, Chile on Saturday. Selknam play host to Os Cobras in a 5th vs 6th match-up. The match sees a new venue for Super Rugby Americas; Curicó is located two hours south of the capital.
Selknam have again rotated roster members. This time Santiago Videla captain’s the side from fullback. The Chileans again have a double play-making approach; Francisco Urroz makes the move to fly half. Rodrigo Fernández is rested this week.
Urroz will play outside Lukas Carvallo. The new-look halves combination is joined by a new mid-field; Domingo Saavedra will start outside Pablo Casas. José Ignacio Larenas returns from injury to play on the left wing. The promising Gaspar Moltedo starts on the right wing.
In the pack Clemente Saavedra makes the move from flanker to second-row. He joins Pablo Huete in the engine room. Further change sees Alfonso Escobar playing flanker rather than N8 while Ignacio Silva and Joaquín Milesi complete the back-row.
The Brazilian side will be captained by Gabriel Paganini from the second-row. He will be partnered by one of the finds of Super Rugby Americas 2023, Argentine Lucio Anconetani. Another Argentine starts in the front-five with Bautista Vidal starting at tight head. Meanwhile, Endy Willian Pinheiro is back to start at hooker.
It is all-change in the back-row. André Arruda is back to start at N8. Cléber Dias has gone from second-row to flanker throughout this season. He is back wearing the 6 shirt. Mateus Claudio joins Dias and Arruda in the back-row.
The Argentine-Brazil alliance is reformed in the halves. Facundo Villalba and Lucas Spago will run the play. Colombia’s Alain Altahona gets another start on the wing as does Brazil’s best player of Super Rugby Americas 2023, Ariel Rodrigues.
SELKNAM
1 Salvador Lues, 2 Diego Escobar, 3 Esteban Inostroza, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 5 Pablo Huete, 6 Alfonso Escobar, 7 Ignacio Silva, 8 Joaquín Milesi, 9 Lukas Carvallo, 10 Francisco Urroz, 11 José Ignacio Larenas, 12 Pablo Casas, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Gaspar Moltedo, 15 Santiago Videla (capt.)
Replacements: 16 Augusto Bohme, 17 Vittorio Lastra, 18 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 19 Santiago Pedrero, 20 Raimundo Martínez, 21 Marcelo Torrealba, 22 Nicolás Herreros, 23 Santiago Edwards
COBRAS
1 Levy Marinho, 2 Endy Willian Pinheiro, 3 Bautista Vidal, 4 Gabriel Paganini (capt.), 5 Lucio Anconetani, 6 Cléber Dias, 7 Matheus Cláudio, 8 André Arruda, 9 Facundo Villalba, 10 Lucas Spago, 11 Ariel Rodrigues, 12 Robert Tenório, 13 Victor Silva, 14 Alain Altahona, 15 Lucas Tranquez
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Silva, 17 Alexandre Alves, 18 Henrique Ferreira, 19 Ben Donald, 20 Adrio de Melo, 21 Donnacha Byrne, 22 Douglas Rauth, 23 Robson Morais
Date: Saturday, May 06
Kick-Off: 5pm (CL); 6pm (Brasília)
Venue: Estadio La Granja, Curicó (CL)
Referee: Gonzalo de Achaval (AR)
Assistant Referees: Juan Manuel Martínez (AR); Raimundo Fuenzalida (CL)
TMO: Ignacio Calle (CL)
Broadcast: ESPN; Star +
HISTORIC RESULTS
2023-03-18 – Cobras 30-24 Selknam (São Paulo, BR)
2022-04-29 – Selknam 33-08 Cobras (Montevideo, UY)
2022-03-19 –Selknam 46-10 Cobras (Valparaíso, CL)
2021-05-01 – Cobras 21-20 Selknam (Montevideo, UY)
2021-04-04 – Selknam 66-10 Cobras (Santiago, CL)
