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🇦🇷 Argentina /Sports

Los Pumas give Nicolás Roger the No. 10 shirt despite his lack of continuity

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Nicolás Roger will wear Argentina’s No. 10 shirt against Australia in Saturday’s test match in Mendoza, his first start in that role for Los Pumas.
  • Roger has played for 10 teams across amateur and professional rugby but has made only eight appearances since his previous international involvement.
  • Coach Felipe Contepomi sees him as an interesting natural fly-half option, while Santiago Carreras will continue to take the goal kicks.

Nicolás Roger has taken an unusual route to Argentina’s No. 10 shirt. The 26-year-old fly-half from Santiago del Estero has played for 10 teams, and now he has a major opportunity against Australia in Mendoza on Saturday.

Roger’s kicking style stood out during the captain’s run. He strikes the ball with his left foot and cuts the kick so it bounces into the in-goal area without traveling farther, a technique compared with that of former Tucumán rugby great Santiago Mesón. His goal-kicking accuracy in training, however, will not earn him that responsibility in the match. Santiago Carreras will continue to kick for goal.

The larger challenge for Roger will be directing an Argentina side that needs order and patience against an opponent considered superior on paper. His selection represents a gamble by coach Felipe Contepomi, who is looking for another option at fly-half despite Roger’s uneven form.

Roger’s journey has taken him from Santiago Lawn Tennis to CASI and La Tablada, as well as through five Súper Rugby Américas franchises: Cafeteros Pro in Colombia, Selknam in Chile, Peñarol in Uruguay, and Argentina’s Tarucas and Dogos XV. He has also played for Cus Torino in Italy and Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.

His breakthrough with Tarucas in 2025 opened the door to the senior national team after his youth career. He won gold in rugby sevens at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games, and the Pumitas reached the semifinals of the 2019 World Under-20 Championship with him in the squad. But he has struggled for regular playing time. Since facing Uruguay, he has played only eight matches: one for La Tablada, two for Benetton and five for Dogos XV. Contepomi still calls him “a very interesting option as a natural No. 10.”

A very interesting option as a natural No. 10.

· Felipe ContepomiArgentina’s coach explained why he continues to trust Roger despite the player’s lack of regular club appearances.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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