Felipe Contepomi has been named as captain of the Argentine squad to travel to the UK to meet England, Wales and Scotland next month.
Even though the Toulon outside half hasn’t played since injuring his knee in last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals, he has been included in the training squad to prepare for the three-Test tour in Paris next week.
All the Pumas’ French-based players have been released for the training camp, but those players attached to English Premiership clubs won’t be able to join the squad until the following week.
Also missing from the 24 strong training group is Juan Martin Hernandez, who is currently playing for Natal Sharks in the Currie Cup competition in South Africa. He, too, is expected to join the squad the following week.
Pumas coach, Santiago Phelan, is also expected to add Harlequins threequarters Gonzalo Tiesi and Gonzalo Camacho, Leicester Tigers prop Marcos Ayerza and London Irish scrum half Alfredo Lalanne.
The list does not include players from the teams involved in the semi-finals of this weekend’s Buenos Aires Union’s (URBA) Top 14 championship. Their final is on 31 October.
ARGENTINA 24 MAN TRAINING SQUAD
Alejandro Abadie (Rovigo)
Horacio Agulla (Brive)
Patricio Albacete (Toulouse)
Lucas Borges (Albi)
Marcelo Bosh (Biarritz Olympique)
Alejandro Campos (Montauban)
Manuel Carizza (Biarritz Olympique)
Felipe Contepomi (Toulon)
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon)
Pablo Henn (Brive)
Mario Ledesma (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
Tomas Leonardi (SIC)
Esteban Lozada (Toulon)
Federico Martin Aramburu (Dax)
Ignacio Mieres (Stade Français Paris)
Juan Pablo Orlandi (Racing Metro)
Martin Rodriguez (Atlético de Rosario)
Rodrigo Roncero (Stade Français Paris)
Martin Scelzo (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
Alvaro Luis Tejeda (Overmach Parma)
Benjamin Urdapilleta (C.U.B.A.)
Nicolas Vergallo (Dax)
Alberto Vernat Basualdo (Toulouse)
Matias Viazzo (Bourgoin)
Likely Tour Additions: Gonzalo Tiesi (Harlequins), Marcos Ayerza (Leicester Tigers), Gonzalo Camacho (Harlequins), Juan-Martin Hernandez (Sharks), Alfredo Lalanne (London Irish)
