Glasgow net pair of Puma tightheads, one on loan and another - Joe Marler's 'old friend' - for next season
Glasgow Warriors have bagged themselves a pair of Argentine tightheads, one on a loan deal that starts this week and another on a full-time basis from next season.
Leicester Tigers’ Gaston Cortes, the 34-year-old who was at Bristol Bears for six seasons, has opted to make the temporary loan switch from Welford Road to Scotstoun to help the Warriors keep things ticking over on the Guinness PRO14 front. Charlie Capps, 22, has gone in the opposite direction, swopping Scotland for England for a few months.
However, Glasgow have secured something longer-term with Exeter’s Enrique Pieretto, the 25-year-old agreeing to a two-year contract for next season subject to visa and medical clearance. He first came to prominence in the UK when red carded and banned for seven weeks for stamping on England’s Joe Marler in 2016.
Warriors have always had a liking for Pumas with the likes of Gabriel Ascarate, German Araoz, Federico Aramburu, Jose Piossek, Bernardo Stortoni and Francisco Leonelli having been on the books.
Now, Pieretto is set to arrive having only been at Scotstoun just last month when Exeter played out a thrilling Heineken Champions Cup draw with Glasgow. The tighthead joined the English Premiership side in November, having played for the Barbarians against Fiji at Twickenham.
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Standing at 6ft 1 and weighing 119kgs, Pieretto is incoming head coach Danny Wilson’s second new signing following the capture of Richie Gray from Top14 champions Toulouse.
Capped 24 times, the prop from Cordoba was part of Mario Ledesma’s 31-man squad for the 2019 World Cup in Japan, featuring in the Pumas’ pool stage victory over the USA in Kumagaya. This was after being involved in the Jaguares’ run to the Super Rugby final.
“Glasgow Warriors is a great club with great players and I chose to join to improve and grow as a player,” said Pieretto. “I can learn a lot from the coaches and players. It’s a good opportunity for me and I’m extremely grateful for that.
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“I spoke to Danny and he told me about his plans for the future. I’m excited about his vision and I’m looking forward to playing for him and the other coaches. It’s a fast pitch at Scotstoun and the fans are really noisy. I enjoyed playing there last month with Exeter Chiefs.”
Wilson added: “Enrique has 24 caps for Argentina and we have been impressed with his performances for Exeter, including the recent game against Glasgow. He’s an abrasive and aggressive scrummager and it is great news that he has decided to join us next season.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments