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Report: Blues in talks with with Los Pumas star to join franchise for 2021 Super Rugby season

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Blues are reportedly in the hunt for the signature of Los Pumas midfielder Santiago Chocobares to fill the final spot on their roster for the upcoming Super Rugby season.

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The Auckland franchise named their squad for next year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman campaigns, which included just three midfielders – TJ Faiane, Rieko Ioane and Tanielu Tele’a.

With one place left vacant from the 38-man team, the New Zealand Herald reports that the Blues are looking abroad to fill that gap, targeting promising Pumas star Chocobares.

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The two-test 21-year-old made his international debut in Argentina’s famous win over the All Blacks in Sydney last month, and has previously been involved in the Auckland Rugby Union academy, according to the Herald.

Should his move to the franchise come to fruition, he would follow in the footsteps of England midfielder Joe Marchant, who joined the Blues on loan from Gallagher Premiership club Harlequins earlier this year.

A move from Argentina – where Chocobares is currently contracted to the Jaguares, the ill-fated Super Rugby franchise urging players to take up deals overseas – to the Blues is plausible given the Auckland side still has one foreign spot left in their ranks.

New Zealand Super Rugby squads are limited to a maximum of three players who have played test rugby outside of New Zealand, with one of those spots dedicated to Pacific Island players.

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The Blues have just two capped foreign internationals named in next year’s side through Manu Samoa front-rowers James Lay and Ray Nuia.

One potential roadblock to securing Chocobares’ signature, though, is that New Zealand Rugby needs to sign off on any foreign players, with only one permitted in each position across the five franchises.

The youngster would also need to undergo two weeks of quarantine in New Zealand before joining the squad early next year.

In the meantime, Chocobares has been named on the bench for Argentina ahead of their final test of the year in the Tri-Nations finale against the Wallabies at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

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Easy_Duzz-it 27 minutes ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

The world never caught up the All Blacks just went backwards . After 2015 they had a plan to build the team around 2 players . Sam Cane and Beauden Barrett , Cane was hailed as the next Mccaw and Barrett the next carter . Unfortunately Cane sustained too many injures and Barrett despite being a great ball runner didn't have a high enough conversion rate or the game management skills to control the team and the game . Then to make matters worst , the selections were so bad year after year the forward pack became shockingly weak .

New Zealand had so much talent wasted betwen 2016 - 2023 . Laumape , elliot dixon , ben tamefuna , pita gus , ben lam , vaea fifita and so many other in form players that never got a look or the time to develop into great All Blacks .


Then you have the dual playmaker system that never worked , but they kept using it . why ? cause some men cant admit when they're wrong . thats the All Blacks between 2016-2023 . wrong coaches with the wrong vision , going in the wrong direction . now it appears the world caught up . but like I said the world never caught up . then you add the obvious flawed referee calls that happen to go against us more often then for us now . the worst of which that never gets called is when the opposition use rush defence but have players offside . this has been going for years , but who cares ? .


anyway its almost 10 and i need to get some shut eye .

Go the might All Blacks !!!!

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