Marcos
Ayerza

Marcos Ayerza is one of Argentina’s greatest ever players. Discover more about this legendary prop with RugbyPass, your resident rugby gurus.

Marcos Ayerza Bio

Marcos Ayerza is one of the finest props to ever play the game. During his distinguished playing career, he made almost 250 appearances for Leicester Tigers and firmly established himself as one of the best Argentinian players of all time. Marcos Ayerza was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born 12 January 1983, Marcos Ayerza played his junior rugby in Argentina, where he was raised. However, in 2006, he signed with Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership. Between then and 2017, he made almost 250 appearances for the club and won four Premiership titles (he also reached the final of the competition a further five times). During this time, he also reached the Heineken Champions Cup final on two occasions. Sadly though, he was on the losing side both times.

Due to his passion and aggression on the field, Marcos Ayerza was known as ‘El Toro’ or ‘The Bull’. This style of play became a particular advantage on the international stage, where he was capped 66 times by Argentina's Los Pumas. The highlight of his international career undoubtedly came in 2007, when Argentina finished third at the Rugby World Cup.

Sadly, following medical advice, Marcos Ayerza was forced to retire from the game in 2017. Since retiring from rugby, Marcos Ayerza has stayed connected to the game. He now runs coaching clinics back in Argentina and is pursuing his passion for polo and horse racing. An accomplished polo player himself, he named one of his horses Welford Road after the home ground of Leicester Tigers.