The Toronto Arrows signed Chilean international José Ramón Ayarza Saporta for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 29-year-old hooker/loosehead prop is 6’1″ and 273 lbs.
Ramón is from Santiago, Chile. He attended the Grange School from 1998 to 2011 and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2012. He also was enrolled at the University of London from 2015 through his graduation in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Management.
Ramón played club rugby with the Prince of Wales Country Club and then with Old Grangonian Club. He then went to New Zealand and played with Mount Maunganui and Sumner Rugby Clubs.
He began his professional rugby career in France in the 2014-215 season with US Carcassone, and then the following season with ROC La Voulte-Valence in the French Nationale 1 league. From 2016 to 2019 he played for Aviron Bayonnais in the French Top 14 and Pro D2 league.
In the 2019-2020 season, he played for US Montauban Sapiac before moving to play with Anglet Olympique Rugby Club in 2020-2021.
He returned to Chile in 2021 to play with Selknam in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby and returned to France to play for Soyaux Angouleme XV Charente in the French Nationale 1 in 2021-2022, helping the team gain promotion to the Pro D2 for the following season.
Chile National Team
Ramón played for the Chile Under-20s in the World Rugby U20 Trophy competition in both 2012 and 2013.
He made his senior National Team debut against Spain at Santiago on 9 November 2013. He has 13 caps, starting 12, and scored one try.
“My objective is to play for Chile at the World Cup next year, and playing in Major League Rugby will help give me that chance.”
Other Articles
DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe to include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.
