Felipe Contepomi says Los Pumas playmaker set to make Italy switch

Montpellier’s Domingo Miotti is looking to change national teams, as announced by Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi. Speaking at a press conference ahead of Argentina’s clash with Wales, Contepomi revealed that he had approached Miotti following Santiago Chocobares’ unavailability for the July window of the Nations Championship, but the Montpellier back ultimately declined the call-up.

“We had a great talk, but he [Miotti] has said that he sees more opportunities to play for Italy. It is a decision that we have accepted. We understand that it wasn’t an easy decision to make.”

Contepomi stated that the initial plan was to select Miotti for the August Test matches against Australia and South Africa, but due to the latest update, he is out of contention.

Miotti hasn’t featured for the Pumas since July 2022, when he came off the bench in a 29-6 loss to Scotland and played the final five minutes. Having debuted for Argentina in 2020, the Montpellier utility back added 22 caps to his tally but was overlooked for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The Argentinian maestro holds an Italian passport, and while Gonzalo Quesada did not include him in his squad for the first three rounds of the Nations Championship, he could be in contention for the November window.

He left Argentina in 2021 to join the Western Force, then signed with Glasgow Warriors for two years. However, the fly-half featured in only 20 games for the Scottish side before leaving for French outfit US Oyonnax.

Despite the club being relegated to Pro D2 at the end of the 2023/24 season, the Argentinian back was snapped up by Montpellier. After making only five appearances in his first season with the club, Miotti enjoyed a resurgence the following year, playing a central role in Montpellier’s EPCR Challenge Cup triumph and run to the Top 14 final, accumulating 292 points across the two competitions.

If the switch is confirmed and Miotti goes on to represent the Azzurri, he will follow in the footsteps of fellow Argentine-born fly-half Diego Dominguez, who played for the Pumas in 1989 before becoming an Italy international in 1991.