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When Mateo Sanguinetti runs onto the pitch at Trailfinders Sports Ground in London this Saturday to face Zimbabwe, the 34-year-old loose head prop will etch his name permanently into rugby history. Earning his 100th Test cap for Los Teros, Sanguinetti becomes just the second Uruguayan player, following former teammate Diego Magno, to reach the century mark, and the first prop from anywhere in the Americas to achieve the milestone.
Sanguinetti’s journey to 100 caps began in Montevideo at his beloved home club, Los Cuervos, where he started playing at age 10. After rising through Uruguay’s age-grade ranks, he made his senior Test debut against Paraguay in Asunción in April 2014. At the time, Uruguay was an amateur outfit battling to return to the global stage after missing consecutive tournaments. Sanguinetti immediately became part of the historic 2014 repechage qualifying campaign against Russia, culminating in the unforgettable victory in Montevideo that punched Uruguay’s ticket to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and Wales.
That triumph sparked the modern rebirth of Uruguayan rugby, and Sanguinetti has been a constant pillar through every step of the transformation from amateurism to full-time professionalism. Following the 2015 tournament, he took his talents abroad to help spearhead Uruguay’s professional wave. In 2019, he moved to the USA to play in Major League Rugby with the Houston SaberCats alongside Diego Magno. He subsequently returned home to join Peñarol for the launch of South America’s professional club league before spending two seasons in France with RC Massy (2020–2022), helping the French club earn promotion to the Pro D2. Since 2022, he has remained a cornerstone of Peñarol’s dominant front row in Super Rugby Americas.
On the international stage, Sanguinetti’s durability is unmatched among front-rowers. Across three Rugby World Cup campaigns—England 2015, Japan 2019, and France 2023—he has accumulated 11 Rugby World Cup caps (starting nine of those matches), placing him alongside the all-time Uruguayan leaders for World Cup appearances. His tournament highlights include Uruguay’s famous 2019 upset victory over Fiji in Kamaishi and competitive battles against tier-one giants like France, Italy, and the All Blacks in 2023.
With his 100th cap secured against Zimbabwe, an all-time Uruguayan record is suddenly within sight. Sanguinetti sits just seven appearances behind Diego Magno’s national record of 107 Test caps. Given his form, fitness, and central role under head coach Guzmán Barreiro, surpassing Magno and leading Los Teros into a fourth consecutive tournament at Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia is well within his reach.
It may be along time before Sanguinetti and Magno are joined by more Uruguayan centurions. Veteran second-rower Ignacio Dotti (76 caps) and hooker Germán Kessler (75 caps) are well-positioned if they continue beyond Rugby World Cup 2027.
