Bears sign Pumas U20 star Benjamín Grondona

Highly rated Argentina U20 international back row Benjamín Grondona has joined Bristol Bears with immediate effect, the club can confirm.

The 19-year-old brother of current Bears and Argentina back row Santiago, who is comfortable at number eight and blindside flanker, stands at 6ft 3 and 102kg and featured for the Pumas at the Junior World Championship in South Africa last summer.

Grondona, a dynamic ball carrier and impressive lineout operator, also featured for Argentina ‘A’ in 2023 in fixtures against Uruguay and Chile.

Director of Rugby, Pat Lam, said: “Benjamín is one of the most exciting young players in the game and came to our attention at the Junior World Championships last summer.

“For a player of his age to have already featured for his country’s ‘A’ team demonstrates the high regard in which he is held by Argentina, and we’re pleased to be able to bring a young man with huge potential to the club.

“He arrived in the country last week and is excited to get stuck in straight away.”