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Gloucester tie down Pumas lock Matias Alemanno
By Josh Raisey
Gloucester and Argentina lock Matias Alemanno has signed a new deal with the club.
The 32-year-old has spent the last four seasons at Kingsholm after arriving from the Jaguares in 2020, and has gone on to make 67 appearances for the Cherry and Whites to date.
The lock is currently on international duty with Argentina, who host France over the next two weeks. With 94 caps to his name already, Alemanno may return to the West Country a centurion after the Rugby Championship.
“I am very happy to extend my time in this special place, which has become home for me and my family," the Argentine said.
“I love the team and the people at this Club, wearing the famous Cherry & White jersey and running out in front of our amazing fans at Kingsholm.
“I can't wait for the future and to see what we can achieve as a team.”
Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington added: “Anyone who’s made nearly 100 appearances for their national side is clearly an exceptional player.
“Mati is a very humble, hard-working rugby player and a big leader too. He’s settled here in Gloucestershire with his family and become an important part of this team.
“A player of Mati’s calibre is always going to have other options available to him, so we’re delighted that he’s committed his future to Gloucester Rugby.”
The announcement came the same day Gloucester CEO Alex Brown penned an open letter to Gloucester fans declaring his "full support" of Skivington after a patchy campaign last season, and vowing a change of style heading into September.
“We want to entertain at Kingsholm,” he wrote.
“We want to make you proud of your team. We want everyone here to enjoy what they do; we believe that comes with a freedom and license to be creative.
“We have been guilty of not taking that approach, of potentially being too restrictive in our game and that may have put unnecessary pressure on all of us; coaches and players alike.
“That pressure can quickly mount and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and arguably, we found ourselves in that cycle last season.”
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Latest Comments
Vaai is finally having his breakout year getting comfortable and showing great form at lock, and there are form players and experience all across the backrow, why on earth would you drop him to 6. Ridiculous
Go to commentsSo far, the All Blacks have won 8 matches out of 11 this year. That is a near 73% win rate. AB fans and, I assume, the team itself are not content with that and have everything to play for with the remaining 3 tests this year.
Their historical average is something like 77% these days and, although some years will always be better than others it is not likely to drop that dramatically to 70% any time soon. There is too much historical inertia on the stats. It is like saying Ireland’s form of the last 10 years or so is likely to reverse a historical average of 48% wins soon. It just isn’t.
Moreover, when you say they are ‘doomed’ to a 70% flatline are you not just assuming that Ireland will beat them again? How did that work out for you last time?
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