Argentine Players in the Premiership 2026/27: Every Puma at an English Club
There are fourteen Argentine players in the Premiership for the 2026/27 season, and two English clubs have four apiece. That is a remarkable number for a country with no professional domestic league, and it is the clearest measure of how completely Argentina has embedded itself in English rugby. A generation ago, Pumas went to France or stayed home. Today, when the Gallagher Premiership kicks off on 25 September, Los Pumas internationals will start for Harlequins, Newcastle Red Bulls, Bath, Bristol Bears, Saracens and Leicester Tigers.
Harlequins: Four Pumas in One Squad
No club has invested more heavily in Argentine talent. Harlequins carry four internationals worth 140 caps between them:
- Guido Petti — lock, 102 caps. Argentina’s most experienced forward in England, signed from Bordeaux-Bègles ahead of 2025-26.
- Rodrigo Isgró — wing, 18 caps. Olympic sevens medallist turned fifteens finisher.
- Pedro Delgado — tighthead prop, 11 caps.
- Boris Wenger — loosehead prop, 9 caps.
Petti and Delgado give Quins an entire Argentine axis in the tight five. When Argentina asked to borrow all four for their August tests against Australia, Harlequins said yes in the middle of their own pre-season.
Newcastle Red Bulls: The New Argentine Hub
Newcastle have quietly matched Harlequins. After a summer of heavy recruitment, the rebranded Red Bulls will field four Argentine players in the Premiership this season:
- Franco Molina — lock, 21 caps. Arrives from Western Force, having previously played for Exeter Chiefs in 2024-25.
- Simón Benítez Cruz — scrum-half, 13 caps.
- Mateo Carreras — wing. One of the Premiership’s most dangerous finishers.
- Benjamín Elizalde — back, arriving from Bristol Bears.
Molina’s signing is the eye-catching one: a lock who has played in England, Australia and Argentina inside three seasons, returning to the Premiership at 27.
More Argentine Players in the Premiership: Bath, Bristol, Saracens, Leicester
Bath — Santiago Carreras, 68 caps. The most recognisable of the Argentine players in the Premiership, Carreras joined from Gloucester for 2025-26 on a three-year deal and has covered fly-half, fullback and wing. His versatility makes him a first-choice name for both Bath and Felipe Contepomi. Read our full profile of Santiago Carreras.
Bristol Bears — Matías Moroni (98 caps) and Benjamín Grondona (3 caps). Moroni is the second-most capped Argentine in England behind Petti. Bristol keep one Grondona and lose another: Santiago Grondona has left for Pau.
Saracens — Lucio Cinti, 43 caps. The outside centre remains one of the most physically imposing midfielders in the competition.
Leicester Tigers — Joaquín Moro (6 caps), joined by prop Joel Sclavi arriving from La Rochelle. Moro made 19 appearances in his debut season after moving from Pampas XV and extended his contract at Welford Road.
One more Argentine plays in Britain without appearing in these numbers: prop Rodrigo Martínez is at the Dragons in Wales, who compete in the URC rather than the Premiership.
Every Argentine Transfer of the 2026/27 Window
Six Argentina internationals changed clubs this summer. Three arrived in England and three left it.
- IN — Joel Sclavi: La Rochelle → Leicester Tigers
- IN — Franco Molina: Western Force → Newcastle Red Bulls
- IN — Benjamín Elizalde: Bristol Bears → Newcastle Red Bulls
- OUT — Matías Alemanno: Gloucester → Vannes (France)
- OUT — Santiago Grondona: Bristol Bears → Pau (France)
- OUT — Eduardo Bello: Newcastle Red Bulls → Ulster (Ireland)
Alemanno’s departure closes a significant chapter. The lock spent six years at Gloucester and passed 100 appearances for the club before moving to the French second division. His exit and Grondona’s mean the number of Argentine players in the Premiership stayed flat rather than growing this year — but the concentration at Harlequins and Newcastle is new.
Why the Premiership Matters for Los Pumas
For Argentine players in the Premiership, the benefit runs in both directions. English clubs get physical, technically sound forwards and creative backs at a fraction of what comparable southern hemisphere talent costs. Argentina get a generation of players tested weekly against the best in the northern hemisphere, arriving at international windows sharper and more tactically aware than any Pumas group before them.
There is a cost, though, and 2026 exposed it. Because the Rugby Championship was cleared from the calendar this year, Argentina’s August tests fell outside World Rugby’s mandatory release window — meaning Contepomi had to negotiate with each club individually for permission to pick his own players. Twelve senior Pumas, including captain Julián Montoya, were unavailable. We covered that story in full in our piece on the Los Pumas squad for the Australia series.
Opening Weekend: 25 September
The Gallagher Premiership 2026/27 season begins on Friday 25 September, and the fixture list could hardly have been kinder to anyone tracking the Argentine players in the Premiership:
- Fri 25 Sep — Harlequins v Bath at the Twickenham Stoop: four Pumas against Santiago Carreras
- Fri 25 Sep — Northampton Saints v Newcastle Red Bulls: the new Argentine quartet’s first outing
- Sat 26 Sep — Sale Sharks v Bristol Bears: Moroni and Grondona
- Sun 27 Sep — Leicester Tigers v Saracens: Moro and Sclavi against Cinti
According to World Rugby, Argentina are ranked seventh in the world. That ranking was not built in Buenos Aires. The Argentine players in the Premiership built it, in large part, on Friday nights in Twickenham, Bristol and Newcastle.
Follow the Season
📺 Amazon Fire TV Stick — stream every Premiership round from 25 September.
📖 Pumas: A History of Argentine Rugby — how a country without a professional league produced a tier-one team.
🍺 Craft beer hampers on Amazon UK — for Friday night Premiership rugby.
