LONG READ Rodrigo Isgró: 'I want to be the Pumas winger and lift a trophy with Harlequins one day'

With the Six Nations well underway, Harlequins took the decision to give its Argentine contingent some time off. For Rodrigo Isgró, it was a rare luxury. After a breathless few seasons that have carried him from Mendoza’s amateur pitches to sevens world player of the year and into the Prem spotlight, he could have escaped anywhere. Dubai. Ibiza. The Algarve. Instead, he went home.

“I started playing at Mendoza Rugby Club at four years old,” he says. “My club, for me, is my life. It’s my second home. I have so many friends and family there.”

Like many Argentines, Isgró played football as a youngster and also dabbled in tennis, but rugby was destined to play a part in his life from the very beginning.

“My dad didn’t play rugby when he was young, but my uncle did. He has three daughters, and when I was born, he called my dad and said, ‘I want Rodri to play rugby.’ He played at my club when he was young and he was the one who took me to play for the first time.”

Despite taking up the sport so young, Isgró freely admits his ambition was simply to play for his club’s first team. Even when he began to take the sport more seriously in his teens, it was only ever for the love of the game, with no thoughts of professionalism. After a few minutes in his company, it is clear that love hasn’t diminished, despite the pressure that comes with playing on the world stage.

Eventually Isgró’s talent began to catch the eye of national selectors and a new goal began to emerge. His teenage exploits led to selection for the U20 World Cup, but things took an unexpected turn after that tournament, one that would change the trajectory of his life and career.

2023 was one of the best years of my life because I fulfilled all my dreams in one year.

“My dream was to play for the Pumas in XVs, but after the U20 World Cup, Santiago Gómez Cora, the sevens head coach, called and asked me to play sevens It was a surprise because I never thought I could play sevens. I started in 2019 and it was the best experience. The first few years were difficult and 2023 was the first year I felt really comfortable and really good in the team.”

Isgró was named player of the year in 2023, the same time he began his transition back to XVs. Then Pumas head coach Michael Cheika called him into the squad ahead of the Rugby Championship, where he later debuted against Australia. It was his first game of professional XVs and, just weeks later, he was running out for his country at the World Cup.

“2023 was one of the best years of my life because I fulfilled all my dreams in one year. Before the World Cup, I spoke with Santiago Gómez Cora and I promised him I would go back to sevens after the World Cup because it was the Olympic year. When you go through a process with a team to achieve one objective, for me it’s very important.”

Isgró’s Olympic dream ended in the quarter-finals against eventual champions France, inspired by the man who would succeed him as men’s sevens player of the year, Antoine Dupont. Both men scored in that game and both would soon be returning to XVs, albeit in drastically different circumstances. Whereas Dupont was welcomed back to Toulouse as a triumphant hero, Isgró was entering a new country, in a new language, unknown to many who didn’t follow his sevens career.

“I was talking with Harlequins before the Olympics. I asked them if they could wait one week because my head was focused on the Olympics. After that, I signed. The transition was amazing but difficult. It was my first time living very far from home. Also the transition from sevens to XVs was difficult physically.”

On the pitch, Isgró proved an instant hit, scoring twice on his debut against Bath, and he quickly established himself as a fan favourite. All the while, he was struggling to adapt to his new surroundings, and the additional demands the XVs game placed on his body.

“Marcus [Smith] was very good with me when I arrived. I didn’t speak English and he invited me to his home for dinner. Sometimes we couldn’t chat properly. He told me, ‘Speak in Spanish — I can understand,’ but he couldn’t understand anything! He helped me a lot with my English.”

The warmth with which he recalls his clubmates is underpinned by a steely resolve to improve the team’s fortunes after a disappointing season to date. The club bolstered their Argentine crop last summer, and Isgró is a far cry from the sevens star who couldn’t speak English. As one of the team’s senior internationals, he is fully aware of the responsibility he carries when he runs out at the Stoop.

When I played sevens, I never thought I could be world player of the year. I just tried to give my best every day. The objectives maybe are in my folder, but they are for me.

“We know we didn’t play well in the first part of the season, but we are all working very hard. We know that we need to do more because we all want to change this moment. We know the club that we represent. It depends on us.”

Isgró returned to the side for their 35-14 victory over Newcastle in the Prem Cup which fans will hope bodes well for the coming weeks. There is still plenty to play for this season, with a Champions Cup knockout game against Sale to come in April, before the club returns to the Allianz Stadium for their annual Big Summer Kick-Off fixture. Isgró grabbed a brace in that match last term and will no doubt be key to the side’s success in this year’s clash with Exeter. His quality on the pitch and his connection to the fans off it will be crucial as the club look to emerge from a challenging few months.

“I don’t know why [the fans love me] because Harlequins has many stars in the squad, but I want to say thanks to the supporters because I felt really welcome from my very first game. Maybe it’s because when I look at kids watching the game, I remember I was one of them. When they look at me, I see myself when I was young.”

Still only 26, it is sometimes hard to remember Isgró is in the early stages of his XVs career, given his swift ascent to the top of the sport. He has quickly become one of Felipe Contepomi’s most potent attacking weapons at international level, but it is arguably his work off the ball that sets him apart.

At over 6ft tall and weighing 100kg, Isgró is equally comfortable with the physical side of the game as he is in the wide open spaces he enjoyed in sevens. In last year’s historic victory over the Lions, Isgró made the most tackles and secured the most turnovers of any player on the pitch. Given it took him several years to feel truly comfortable in the abbreviated format, it would be naive to imagine he has already reached his ceiling in the 15-man game.

“Every day I wake up and want to be my best. I want to be the winger of the Pumas and I want to help Harlequins. One objective is to win a trophy with Harlequins, maybe the Prem one day.”

😌 Try of the season?

How did Rodrigo Isgró pull this off 😱#COYQ | #HARvNEW pic.twitter.com/EHvNt5TUG6

— Harlequins 🃏 (@Harlequins) October 26, 2025

In terms of personal achievements, he is a little more coy, responding with the same grin he flashes to the crowd after dotting down at the Stoop.

“When I played sevens, I never thought I could be world player of the year. I just tried to give my best every day. The objectives maybe are in my folder, but they are for me.”

As the conversation draws to a close, Isgró is full of energy and keen to share recommendations of the best places to eat in Mendoza. Nestled in the foothills of the Andes, the region is known for its vineyards and relaxed pace of life. It is not difficult to picture Isgró in these surroundings, but his brief trip home wasn’t just about pleasure. He opened a coffee shop while back in the city – another sign there is a real work ethic behind the image of the laidback star.

It is also a reminder, no matter how many exotic places rugby has taken him, his roots are still buried in Mendoza’s soil. For now, his dreams lie in London, where he hopes to one day lift the English title, and in Sydney, where the World Cup final will take place in 2027. Whatever trophies lie in store, Mendoza will be waiting to welcome home one of its favourite sons.