Super Rugby Americas 2024 – Dogos – ARN Season Guide

Super Rugby Americas 2024 will be the second year to feature Los Dogos. The Córdoba side were highly competitive in their rookie season. The team reached the final, finishing runners-up to 2023 champions Peñarol.

Click here to access the complete 2024 Dogos player roster.

Click here to access the Dogos Super Rugby Americas home page.

 

SEASON OPENER
Los Dogos will open Super Rugby Americas 2024 against the American Raptors. It will be a home match with Los Dogos hosting the Denver based side in Córdoba on February 16. Los Dogos will follow it up with an away match against Os Cobras in Brazil in round two, a home game against Yacaré in round three and an away match against Selknam in round four. These early round fixtures represent a golden opportunity for a strong start to the campaign for Los Dogos.

 

COACHING STAFF
Nicolás Galatro remains in charge of Los Dogos. As a player, he played for Argentine clubs Olivos in Buenos Aires and Duendes in Rosario. He played in Italy from 2002-2011 for Lazio, Amatori Catania, and Petraca. He captained Petrarca to the Italian championship in 2011.

Galatro then returned to Argentina where he joined Duendes. He moved to the Rosario club as his Bárbara Imhoff, is from there. Bárbara Imhoff is Juan Imhoff’s sister. Imhoff played alongside Leguiamón at Rugby World Cups 2011 and 2015. In short, there are deep roots in traditional Argentine clubs and strong ties to Los Pumas in the Pampas and Dogos coaches.

2024 will be his third consecutive year as Head Coach of a team in the South American professional league. Galatro was Head Coach of Los Cafeteros Pro in 2022. His successful debut season with Los Dogos followed in 2023. At the age of 40 he took charge of the High Performance Center in Rosario.

Galatro will be accompanied  by Diego Ghighlione and Stefano Ambrosio. Former Pumas and Newcastle Falcons prop Galo Álvarez Quiñones is also on board as an Assistant Coach.

 

RECRUITMENT
Two players have joined Los Dogos after suiting up for different Super Rugby Americas franchises last year. Lorenzo Colidio joins from Los Pampas while Felipe Villagrán returns after a stint in Paraguay with Yacaré. Both are comfortable at lock or flanker, with Colidio have earned Argentina XV honors in the off-season.

New call-ups are Old Lions prop Pedro Delgado Ibañez and Old Resian wing or fullback Nahuel Romero, the latter was a Pumas 7s triallist. Returning tighthead prop Ramiro Valdés settles for a spot in the 17-strong development squad that includes a number of Argentine age-grade internationals, among them giant lock Alejandro Barrios and highly-rated center Tomás Medina.

 

IMPORTS
The team is entirely homegrown. All players are Argentine. All were born in Argentina and all are products of the Argentine rugby system. Franco Molina is now fully-recovered following surgery. He had been on the Pumas radar prior to his set-back late in the Super Rugby Americas 2023 season. Molina previously played for Selknam in 2022. Julián Hernández was a stand-out at fly half for the defunct Colombian team Los Cafeteros Pro in 2022.

 

POSSIBLE STARTING XV
1 Santiago Pulella
2 Boris Wenger
3 Octavio Filippa
4 Lautaro Simes
5 Franco Molina (capt.)
6 Aitor Bildosola
7 Ignacio Gandini
8 Efraín Elías
9 Agustín Moyano
10 Juan Baronio
11 Ernesto Giudice
12 Leonardo Gea Salim
13 Agustín Segura
14 Lautaro Cipriani
15 Mateo Soler

Super Rugby Americas 2024 – Dogos – ARN Season Guide .