Cafeteros Pro

Cafeteros Pro is a professional rugby union team based in Medellín, Colombia. The team was founded in 2020 to compete in Súper Liga Americana de Rugby finals series of the 2020 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season, however the season was cancelled following the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1][2] The team however did join the competition full-time ahead of the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season.^[3] Cafeteros Pro became the first professional rugby union team from Colombia.^[4][5]

Cafeteros Pro

Full name	Los Cafeteros Pro
Founded	2019; 6 years ago (2019)
Location	Medellín, Colombia
Ground(s)	TBA
Coach(es)	Nicolás Galatro
Captain(s)	Franco Giudice
League(s)	SLAR
2021	6th Playoffs DNQ
1st kit 2nd kit

Beginnings

Ahead of the 2021 season, Cafeteros Pro appointed Argentine Rodolfo Ambrosio as head coach.^[6] The team is set to have a budget of US$330,000 for their first season and their side will be a mixture of Colombian professional players and Argentine professional players.^[4] The team along with the Paraguayan SLAR side Olímpia Lions will have priority of drafting Argentine players, with there being an excess of Argentine players due to the Argentine Jaguares side departing Super Rugby.^[7][8] On 4 January 2021, it was announced that 10 Argentine players had been drafted to the side.^[9] In the longer term the team is hoping to become a Colombian-centric team, with 90% of the players to be Colombians.^[10] Ahead of the 2021 season, there were seven Colombian players playing professional rugby in foreign leagues: Brayan Campiño and Andrés Zafra (both playing in France), Julio Cesar Giraldo (who played for American side Rugby United New York in the 2020 Major League Rugby season), Giovanni Carvajal, Diver Ceballos and Danny Giraldo (who all played for the Uruguayan side Peñarol in the 2020 SLAR) and Johan Larrota.^[5]

Stadium

The Cafeteros Pro have yet to announce their stadium or stadia in Medellín ahead of the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season.

Current squad

The Cafeteros Pro squad for the 2022 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season is:^[11]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Álvaro Llaver Hooker Argentina Diego Posada Hooker Colombia Boris Wegner Hooker Argentina Carlos Angulo Prop Colombia Tomás Bertot Prop Argentina Javier Corvalán Prop Argentina Brian González Prop Argentina Daniel Gutiérrez Prop Colombia Eliseo Fourcade Lock Argentina Gregório Hernández Lock Argentina Federico Lavanini Lock Argentina Diver Ceballos Back row Colombia José Galvez Back row Argentina Juan Bautista Mernes Back row Argentina Felipe Puertas Back row Argentina

Player Position Union Marcos Amorisa Scrum-half Argentina Eliseo Morales Scrum-half Argentina Julián Navarro Scrum-half Colombia Joaquín Sánchez Scrum-half Argentina Andrés Álvarez Fly-half Colombia Julián Hernández Fly-half Argentina Juan David Agudelo Centre Colombia Manuel Alfaro Centre Argentina Valentín Fernández Centre Argentina Jhojan Ortiz Centre Colombia Leonardo Gea Salim Centre Argentina Alain Altahona Wing Colombia Manuel de Marco Wing Argentina Brayan Guzmán Wing Colombia Franco Giudice (c) Fullback Argentina

• Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
• * denotes players qualified to play for Colombia on dual nationality or residency grounds.