The rugby world received a hard blow in the early hours of this Sunday with the confirmation of the death of Luis “Rito” Irañetain a tragic accident that occurred in the commune of Zapalla, in the Chilean region of Valparaíso, in which His wife Andrea Raganatto and his sister Maite Irañeta also died.. He was one of the first people from Mendoza to be summoned to The Pumas and the number 289 to debut in the Argentina rugby team.
The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at kilometer 24 of route F30, in the trans-Andean country. According to the newspaper Uno de Mendoza, the family was traveling in a Toyota Corolla Cross truck and collided head-on with a BMW. The first information indicated that the Argentine patent vehicle was leaving a condominium when it was hit by the other car that was traveling from North to South.
According to the T13 web news portal of Chile, the victims were assisted by personnel from the Traffic Accident Investigation Section (SIAT) of Carabineros and the Legal Medical Service (SML), which carried out the corresponding expert reports in the midst of an interruption. time of circulation in that area.
“Emergency teams rushed to the scene. All the victims are Argentine nationals and we regret this tragic accident, in addition to providing support in all the procedures that must be carried out,” the provincial presidential delegate of Petorca told the same Chilean media. Luis Soto.
Both Irañeta and his wife died at the scene, while the third member of the family was rushed to the Quillota hospital, where she finally died from serious injuries around 9:30 p.m.
According to the ‘Biobiochile.cl’ portal, the driver of the vehicle with a Chilean license – who was unharmed, as was his passenger – He was arrested after testing positive for alcoholbeing transferred to a police unit for a second check, which confirmed the initial result.
In parallel, the Carabineros SIAT was in charge of the proceedings at the site of the episode.
From 2010 to date, Rito Irañeta served as General Director of Server Group, an insurance broker, and Together with his wife they built a large family with eleven children and more than 50 grandchildren.. Previously, the ex-rugbier had had a stint in public service as president of the Social Security Bank during the governorship of José Octavio Bordón.
A surname linked to sport
With a surname linked to sport, since his uncle Roberto was a legend of Gimnasia de Mendoza and the first Mendoza native to play in a soccer World Cup (Italy 1934), ‘Ritito’ (in the family Rito was his father) stood out from a young age in his club, in the Cuyo Rugby Union team, that of the Interior and finally he arrived at Los Pumas in 1974, with the help of the remembered ‘Veco’ Villegas.
With the albiceleste jacket he made his debut against France, on June 20, on the Ferro Carril Oeste field. “In rugby I found my place”Rito Irañeta recalled that glorious past and his beginnings in the oval sport when he was just 15 years old.
Until 1977, Irañeta was the protagonist of memorable duels against France, the All Blacks and, above all, Wales. It was part of the unforgettable test match in Cardiff that Los Pumas lost in the last play 20-19 on October 16, 1976.
This group of members of the national team usually meet regularly and Irañeta himself has hosted many times in his native province.
In fact, Eliseo ‘Chapa’ Branca said goodbye to him through social networks with a heartfelt message. “Rito Irañeta died, a great player and a better person than I had to debut with him against Wales. I have the best memories of him. I have no way to send my condolences to his children. I hug heaven, dear Rito”wrote.