Champ's Benz-Solomon twins called up to Spain's World Rugby Nations Cup squad

Spain head coach Pablo Bouza has unveiled the initial training squad for the upcoming Nations Cup fixtures, featuring two notable new additions: Coventry RFC brothers Aristot and Jonathan Benz-Solomon.

The Benz-Solomon siblings were born in Spain but moved to England at the age of 10, joining the thriving rugby scene during their school years. Jonathan Benz-Solomon came through the Harlequins academy before moving to Bristol Bears, where he made his Premiership debut in 2021. He remained with the club until 2024, when he joined Gloucester. After two seasons at Kingsholm, he switched to Coventry to join his twin brother.

Coventry currently sit third, with both brothers having played a key role in the West Midlands side claiming four wins from their opening five Champ Rugby fixtures.

Aristot also spent time with the Bears between 2021 and 2024, although he made fewer first-team appearances. The prop subsequently moved to Gloucester, remaining with the club until 2025 before joining Coventry last season.

The twins had been rumoured to be keen to represent Los Leones in previous years, but the opportunity never arose until now. At 25, they are both set for their Test debut this November.

With both players added, Spain now boast remarkable front-row depth, with Los Leones able to call upon Carcassonne’s Thierry Futeu, Section Paloise’s Jon Zabala, Stade Toulousain’s Joel Merkler, Aviron Bayonnais’ Hugo González, Montpellier’s Luca Tabarot, Biarritz’s Hugo Pirlet and Joaquin Dominguez.

Another notable inclusion is Spain U20 international Iván Farace. The SU Agen prop has earned a chance to stake his claim for a spot in the final squad ahead of the Nations Cup opening match on November 6.

Spain will host Uruguay, Chile and Samoa during the November Nations Cup window and will look to build on the momentum gained from collecting nine points in July.

The current Spain call-up does not include key players competing in the Top 14, Pro D2 or Nationale, such as Joel Merkler, Jon Zabala and Lucien Richardis. However, most are expected to be available for Spain during the Nations Cup, with a new squad to be named ahead of the tournament.