Up And Under

The Up and Under is a weekly feature on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.

 

UP

Julian Savea
He started the season overweight and – if we’re honest – pretty out of form. Even in the pool stages he was pretty quiet by his standards. What we didn’t know was that Savea and the All Blacks were playing coy – they ramped it up massively against France, with none more impressive than the big left winger. Shades of Lomu in his second try, the South Africans will have to come up with a defensive plan to stop the bus.

Pablo Matera
The giant Pumas flanker had one of his best games for his country, if not his best. A colossus with ball in hand, a devastating tackler, and an immovable object over the ball. Ireland must have thought they were playing against Stephen Ferris, such was the ferocity of his performance. At only 22 years old, the future is very, very bright.

Scotland
A cruel twist of fate has cost Scotland their first semi-final since 1991, but don’t let that get in the way of recognizing the improvement of the side. Vern Cotter has instilled a sense of belief in his players, and while his selection policy might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the results speak for themselves. Many people were looking at the Scots to challenge for last year’s Six Nations title. Will there be more in 2016?

The Rugby Championship
Might as well point out the obvious. While the Six Nations is a well-oiled machine in the financials department and completely overshadows its Southern equivalent in atmosphere, on the rugby pitch the Tri-Nations-Plus-One is still the best on the planet. Open, attacking play with a clear intent to score tries has put all four sides in the semi-finals. It’s time for the Northern nations to start taking notes.

 

UNDER

Craig Joubert
Much of the vitriol aimed at the poor man is well over the top, but we can’t simply dismiss his performance out of sympathy. All referees make mistakes, and inherently some will be bigger than others. The yellow card to Sean Maitland was harsh, there’s no question about it, and the final penalty just doesn’t sit right. If Joubert had simply awarded Australia the scrum, nobody would have disagreed. Instead he made a hash of it, and for reasons unknown galloped off the pitch after the final whistle. You wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now.

Philippe Saint-André
Au revoir and adieu Philippe. The bitter end to your tenure was apropos. Make all the excuses you want, but you were hopelessly bad as a selector and Les Bleus have looked like headless chickens since you’ve been in charge. Will Guy Noves be the savior, or is the problem with French rugby more insidious?

James Slipper
At one point it looked as though the Queensland loosehead was a future Wallabies captain. Instead Michael Cheika has opted for Scott Sio in the scrum and Slipper is slipping down the pecking order. His pass to Mark Bennett was nothing short of dreadful, and unbecoming of a player with his experience. Could a return to tighthead turn around his fortunes, or has he already reached his zenith?

Six Nations Championship
Again, the results speak for themselves. Zero representatives from the Northern Hemisphere in the semi-finals in a tournament that was tailor-made for them to succeed. Injuries put paid to the hopes of Wales and Ireland, while fate intervened on Scotland’s behalf. Italy and France were both woeful and England… well… let’s just say there might be a job opening or three at HQ being advertised in the near future.