SRA 2005 – Peñarol vs Dogos – ARN Guide

The South American professional rugby season begins on Friday. In a battle of champions, former two-time winners Peñarol play host to reigning and defending champions Los Dogos. The season gets underway with Uruguay firmly eyeing the Rugby World Cup 2027 Qualifiers; hence, Peñarol’s players have plenty on their minds. Los Dogos’ players will be seeking the attention of Felipe Contepomi; indeed, former captain Franco Molina played in all 12 tests for Los Pumas in 2024 and is now at Exeter Chiefs.

 

CAPPED INTERNATIONALS

– M Sanguinetti (LH), G Pujadas (HK), F Aliaga (LO), S Civetta (FL), L Bianchi (FL), M Diana (N8), S Álvarez (SH), F Etcheverry (FH), F Arcos Perez (CE), B Basso (WI), I Facciolo (WI) B Amaya (FB), J Myszka (HK), M Perillo (PR), C Deus (N8), M Cardoso Pinto (Portugal – WI)

– P Delgado (TH)

NOTABLE ABSENTEES

– Ícaro Amarillo (FH), Juan Andrés Zuccarino (FH), Juan Manuel Alonso (CE), Joaquín Suárez (CE), Andrés Vilaseca (CE), Mateo Viñals (WI)

– Gastón Revol (CE)

NOTES

• Guillermo Pujadas and Felipe Etcheverry return for Peñarol from MLR. Etcheverry and Santiago Álvarez are both reliable goal-kickers; Álvarez guided Uruguay to victory over Romania in November.
• Juán Manuel Rodríguez is fit for Peñarol. He was named on the roster as a player in recuperation.
• Uruguayan captain Andrés Vilaseca plus Juan Zuccarino and Juan Manuel Alonso are still recovering.
• Portuguese RWC 2023 winger Manuel Cardoso Pinto will feature as a Peñarol replacement.
• Peñarol’s Bautista Farise, Tomás Di Biase, Franco Marini, Bautista Vidal, and Ignacio Torres are Argentines.
• Loose Head Mateo Sanguinetti is the most capped prop from the Americas with 90 caps for Uruguay.
• Puma Pedro Delgado starts at tight head for Los Dogos. Additional experience comes with Octavio Filippa, Lautaro Simes and captain Valentín Cabral in the forwards.
• Hooker Leonel Oviedo played for Peñarol in 2024. His brother is Puma Joaquín Oviedo.
• Scrum-half Agustín Moyano looms as a Puma in waiting.
• Formerly a wing / fullback, Mateo Soler has moved to outside center. He trained with Los Pumas in 2024.
• The highly anticipated Super Rugby Americas debut of Sevens Star Gastón Revol will have to wait.
• Peñarol have 3 wins from the former 5 meetings vs Los Dogos with the most recent being a draw.
• Assistant referee Armen Abisaab will make his professional debut.

PREDICTION

Los Dogos are the defending champions; this gives them the favorites tag. However, Peñarol has named twelve World Cup players in the run-on XV. The scrum plagued Peñarol in 2024. Argentines Bautista Vidal, and Ignacio Torres have the task of turning this around. A solid scrum combined with free-flowing rugby may restore Peñarol to being the force from 2022-2023. Hot conditions in Montevideo will further enable attacking rugby for play-makers Santiago Álvarez, Felipe Etcheverry, Agustin Moyano, and Julián Hernández.

 

LINEUPS

PENAROL
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 3 Bautista Vidal, 4 Juan Manuel Rodriguez, 5 Felipe Aliaga, 6 Santiago Civetta, 7 Lucas Bianchi, 8 Manuel Diana (capt.),9 Santiago Álvarez, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 11 Ignacio Facciolo, 12 Bautista Farise, 13 Felipe Arcos Perez, 14 Bautista Basso, 15 Baltazar Amaya

Replacements: 16 Joaquin Myszka, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Ignacio Torres, 19 Franco Marini Linares, 20 Carlos Deus, 21 Tomas Di Biase, 22 Alfonso Perillo Albarracin, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

DOGOS
1 Boris Wenger, 2 Leonel Oviedo, 3 Pedro Delgado, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Federico Albrisi, 6 Aitor Bildosola, 7 Valentin Cabral (capt.), 8 Juan Cruz Caballero, 9 Agustin Moyano, 10 Julián Hernández, 11 Lautaro Cipriani, 12 Felipe Mallia, 13 Mateo Soler, 14 Ernesto Giudice, 15 Bautista Lescano

Replacements: 16 Conrado Iglesias, 17 Nicolás Revol, 18 Octavio Ignacio Filippa, 19 Lorenzo Colidio, 20 Ignacio Gandini, 21 Juan Lovell, 22 Juan Bautista Baronio, 23 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo

 

MATCH INFO

Date: Friday, February 14
Venue: Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo (UY)
Kickoff: 8pm (UY); 8pm (AR)
Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy, 26°C; Wind 23 km/h
Broadcasts: ESPN; Disney +

OFFICIALS

Referee: Nehuén Jauri Rivero (AR)
Assistants: Simón Larrubia (AR); Armen Abisaab (UY)
TMO: Alejandro Longres (UY)

HISTORY

HEAD-TO-HEAD (5) Peñarol (3), Dogos (1), Draw (1)

May 24, 2004 – Dogos 26,Peñarol 26 (Tala RC, Córdoba, AR)
Apr 05, 2024 – Peñarol 12-27 Dogos (Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, UY)
Jun 09, 2023 – Peñarol 23-17 Dogos (Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, UY)
Apr 21, 2023 – Peñarol 33-15 Dogos (Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, UY)
Mar 04, 2023 – Dogos 35-41 Peñarol (Tala RC, Córdoba, AR)