Manuel Ardao
| Full name | Manuel Ardao Ferres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 September 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Diego Ardao (Uruguayan XVs and Sevens international) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manuel Ardao Ferres (born 9 September 1998) is a Uruguayan rugby union player who generally plays as a flanker. Ardao plays for Miami Sharks in Major League Rugby (MLR) and represents Uruguay internationally.[1][2]
Career
Old Christians Club
Ardao began his career at Old Christians Club, following in the footsteps of his brother Diego Ardao,[3] He was part of the team that won the national championship in 2019.[4]
Peñarol
In 2020 he gained a professional contract at Peñarol.[5] He played his first game on March 4, 2020 against Selknam. This match also turns out to be the last of the season, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the following year he featured again for Peñarol, with Peñarol reaching the final of the Superliga Americana de Rugby losing to Jaguares XV 36-28. Ardao started in the next two finals for Peñarol winning both.[6] He was named MVP for the 2022 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season.[7]
Miami Sharks
In August 2023, the Miami Sharks signed Ardao for its inaugural season in Major League Rugby.[8] Ardao was ultimately joined on the Sharks by three fellow Uruguayan internationals: Felipe Etcheverry, Tomás Inciarte, and Reinaldo Piussi.
For the 2024 Major League Rugby Season, Ardao had twelve appearances, scoring five tries for a total of 31 points and distinguished himself through excellent defensive play.
International career
Manuel Ardao plays with the Uruguay under-20 team in 2017 and 2018, as part of the World Rugby U20 Trophy. In 2017, his team finished third in the competition. The following year, his team finished in fifth place, but Ardao distinguished himself by scoring six tries in four games.
He made his international debut for Uruguay against Fiji on 17 November 2018.[9] He was included in the Uruguayan squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan marking his first World Cup appearance.[10] He featured in two of Uruguay's games.
Honours
Old Christians Club
- Uruguayan National Championship, 2019
Peñarol
- Super Rugby Americas, 2022, 2023
Personal
- MVP for the 2022 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby season
References
- ^ "SLAR". regi.superrugbyamericas.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Manuel Ardao". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ worldrugby.org. "Diego Ardao: My plan is to travel the world | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Old Christians Club crowned 2019 Uruguayan Champions". Americas Rugby News. 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Penarol Squad for 2020".
- ^ "SLAR". regi.superrugbyamericas.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "SLAR – 2022 MVP". Americas Rugby News. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Miami Sharks Complete Huge Signing of Manuel Ardao From Uruguay". Americas Rugby News. 2023-08-20. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ "Uruguay v Fiji". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Los Teros name squad for Japan 2019". rugbyworldcup.com. Rugby World Cup. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
External links
- Manuel Ardao at ESPNscrum
- Manuel Ardao at ItsRugby.co.uk
