Santiago Cordero (born 6 December 1993) is an Argentine rugby union player currently playing for Irish side Connacht in the United Rugby Championship. He plays as wing or fullback.

Santiago Cordero
Full nameSantiago Cordero
Date of birth (1993-12-06) 6 December 1993 (age 30)
Place of birthBuenos Aires, Argentina
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 180 lb)
Notable relative(s)Facundo Cordero (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Fullback
Current team Connacht
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–2015 Regatas 11 (90)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–2015 Pampas XV 14 (42)
2016−2017 Jaguares 11 (20)
2017–2019 Exeter Chiefs 33 (50)
2019–2023 Bordeaux 68 (137)
2023– Connacht 2 (0)
Correct as of 22 September 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012 Argentina U19 1 (0)
2012–2013 Argentina U20 15 (15)
2015 Argentina A 2 (0)
2013– Argentina 53 (80)
Correct as of 13 November 2022

Santiago Cordero played for Regatas from 2012 to 2015.

His first test match for Argentina was the 31–12 loss to England, at 9 November 2013, in Twickenham Stadium, when he was 19 years old.[1]

Cordero played one match in the 2013 End-of-year rugby union test for the Barbarians against Fiji, at the Centenary Match to mark 100 years of rugby in Fiji.

Santiago caught the attention of a wider rugby audience during the 2015 World Cup with his pace and stepping skills, having scored memorable tries, two against Georgia (in which he was named "Man of the Match") and one against Tonga. His clean breaks and distance covered were also noteworthy,[2] thus making significant contributions to Argentina's fourth place in the tournament.[3]

Cordero scored one try for the Argentinian side that beat the Barbarians 49–31 in the 2015 Killik Cup match, held at Twickenham on 21 November 2015.[4][5]

In 2016 and 2017 he played for Jaguares, the Argentinian team in Super Rugby. He joined Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby in early 2018 as a medical joker, and became a full-time player for the 2018–19 season.

Cordero signed for Exeter Chiefs in 2018 and has since played 33 games scoring 10 tries.[6] In March 2019 he was awarded the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Player of the Month,[7][8] and in May 2019 was announced as one of the five nominees for the prestigious Rugby Players Association Player of the Year award.[9]

On 6 January 2019, Cordero left Exeter to join French side Bordeaux in the Top 14 competition ahead of the 2019-20 season.[10]

On 23 March 2023, Connacht Rugby announced that Cordero had signed for the club on a 2 year deal, beginning in the 2023-24 season.[11]

Santiago Cordero is one of Argentina's top try scorers, with 16 tries in 53 caps for Los Pumas.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Santiago Cordero International Statistics
  2. ^ Santiago Cordero Profile | RWC 2015
  3. ^ Cordero's Greatest moments | World Rugby YouTube Channel
  4. ^ Barbarians and Argentina share 12 tries at Twickenham | Barbarians FC Website
  5. ^ Barbarians v Argentina - Full Match Highlights | Barbarians YouTube Channel
  6. ^ "Exeter Chiefs Player List". www.exeterchiefs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Santiago Cordero named Gallagher Premiership Rugby Player of the Month for March 2019".
  8. ^ "Exeter's Santiago Cordero dances his way to Player of the Month".
  9. ^ "Cipriani nominated for top award". BBC Sport.
  10. ^ "Bordeaux sign Santiago Cordero from Exeter Chiefs". Americas Rugby News. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Santiago Cordero joins Connacht Rugby | 22nd March 2023 | News". Connacht Rugby. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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