Juan Manuel Leguizamón (born 6 June 1983) is an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

rugby union footballer for Rugby United New York (RUNY) of

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

(MLR). He plays as a flanker or a number eight. Leguizamón previously played for the Jaguares, the Argentine side which made its debut in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

for the 2016 season. He first played for Santiago Lawn Tennis Club, playing for

San Isidro Club San Isidro Club (mostly known for its acronym SIC) is an Argentine sports club based in the Boulogne Sur Mer district of Greater Buenos Aires. The club has gained recognition due to its rugby union team, being one of the most successful clubs of A ...

in 2003–04, where he won two URBA championships. He also played for the London Irish (2005–06, 2007–08) in England, and for

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

(2008–09, 2010–11) as well as Lyon OU (2011–15) in the Top 14 and

Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was in ...

leagues of France. Leguizamón played 87 tests for Argentina from 2005 to 2019, including four Rugby World Cups and also captaining the team three times in his career.

International career

Leguizamón made his debut with ''

Los Pumas The Argentina national rugby union team (Spanish: ''Selección de rugby de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international rugby union; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union ( es, Unión Argentina de Rugby). Nicknamed the Pumas ...

'' in April 2005 in a match against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, won 68 to 36 in Buenos Aires. On his debut, he also scored his first try for Argentina. He earned another two caps in July in a Test series against Italy, and then went on to play in three tests matches during November; against South Africa, and coming on as a replacement during the Scotland and Italy fixtures. The following year he played in two tests during the June fixtures at home to Wales and the All Blacks. He also played in games during Argentina's qualification for the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 2 ...

and before the quarter finals, Leguizamón dominated the World Cup group stage. This was emphasised with his monstrous work rate during the first game of the tournament against the hosts France. His yellow boots make him easy to spot.Juan Manuel Leguizamon International Statistics
/ref> Leguizamón went on to be part of the Argentine squad for three more World Cups, the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

in New Zealand,

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

in England and

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

in Japan. Having been supplanted from the starting lineup, by Javier Ortega Desio, during the

2018 Rugby Championship The 2018 Rugby Championship was the seventh edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four ...

, Leguizamón announced that he would retire from all forms of rugby following the 2019 World Cup. On October 9, 2019, he played his last test for the Argentina national team, a 47–17 win over the United States. Leguizamón finished his career under Head Coach, Mario Ledesma, a former teammate, and finished as the joint second-to-most capped Argentinian player of all time, tied with

Felipe Contepomi Felipe Contepomi (born 20 August 1977) is an Argentine rugby coach who is currently the backs coach at Leinster Rugby. He was a rugby union footballer who played fly-half or centre; his last club was Club Newman, in the first division of the U ...

and second to Agustin Creevy. In May 2021, Leguizamón signed with Rugby United New York (RUNY) of

in America for the rest of the 2021 season.

References

External links

London Irish profileUAR profile
on Londonirish.org

on sarugby.com
Juan Manuel Leguizamón
on ercrugby.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Leguizamon, Juan Manuel 1983 births People from Santiago del Estero Argentine people of Basque descent Argentine rugby union players Jaguares (Super Rugby) players Living people Lyon OU players Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights San Isidro Club rugby union players Stade Français players Barbarian F.C. players London Irish players Argentina international rugby union players Argentine expatriate rugby union players Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in England Expatriate rugby union players in France Rugby New York players Sportspeople from Santiago del Estero Province