Up and Under

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

Cornish Pirates
The home of Canadians Brett Beukeboom, Matt Evans, and Aaron Carpenter have now won four league games on the trot and look a completely different side after being early contenders for relegation. All three Canucks have featured prominently since returning from the World Cup, with Carpenter taking over the captaincy and starring in his favoured no8 position.

Thretton Palamo
Confirmation that Thretton Palamo has obtained an early release from London Welsh to link up with the Eagles 7s is extremely good news for the player, his international team and the Olympic Games. Palamo will now be better prepared to push for a spot in Rio and to press for a medal.

DTH van der Merwe
Another game and another try for the Canadian flyer sees him tied for top try scorer of the Guinness Pro 12 this season. Having joined from the Glasgow Warriors where is the all-time top try scorer, van der Merwe continues to be on top of his game.

Uruguay High Performance
The regularity of Uruguay in Up and Under continues as the URU’s ongoing great work deserves recognition. This past week the union announced a 63-man roster for 2016. Included are players involved will Los Teros, the Uruguay XV and Los Teros 7s. All those named will begin their training today at the Estadio Charrúa.

Zebre
Italian side Zebre not only completed back-to-back wins over Benetton Treviso but has now won three matches in-a-row for the first time in history. The Parma based side is now 10th in the Guinness Pro 12 and, under current rules, a safe bet to qualify for the European Champions Cup with Benetton Treviso missing out. Gonzalo García and Guillermo Roan of Argentina were both a part of Sunday’s win.

Agulla Brothers
The Agulla brothers, Horacio and Belisario, played on opposing sides this weekend in the Aviva Premiership. Horacio started on the wing for Bath while Belisario was a replacement for Newcastle who won their first Premiership match of the season. Horacio tweeted “the student defeated the teacher”. Also in England, another Pumas winger, Gonzalo Camacho, made his long-awaited debut for the Leicester Tigers this weekend.

Le Stade Classic
Toulouse’s dominance over Stade Français had seen the southern giants winning all games since late 2012 against the Parisians. With Stade Français entering the game well down the standings and Toulouse at the helm the signs were not so good for Gonzalo Quesada’s team. In one of the best matches of the weekend Toulouse started well to go 8-0 ahead before Stade Français began a recovery and the home side ultimately one 18-17 with a try one minute from full time. Patricio Albacete and his teammates were so close.

UNDER

Early January British and Irish Rain
Many games this past weekend and in the final weekend of 2015 meant the rugby on offer in the the Aviva Premiership was spoiled. It spilled over to all of Ireland, Wales and Scotland too with the field being so bad that Glasgow was unable to host Edinburgh. The Pro 12 derby weekends were, otherwise, a huge success. Gonzalo Camacho’s come back start in London may well have been played on an artificial field but the conditions were far from appealing with he, and outside backs in general, having minimal opportunities.

Pato Fernández
Patricio Fernández’ naming at fly half for powerhouses Clermont Auvergne was big news. The Rosario pivot started against Agen this weekend but was unable to perform to the required standards. He was substituted at half time with his side trailing 9-0. Clermont went on to win 33-16 and with it join Toulouse and Racing 92 for a three-way share of the lead.

London Irish
It is hard to think of the Aviva Premiership without London Irish but the club finds itself dead last again after another loss. The club has won just one of 8 league matches this season and is in real danger of dropping. The club’s roster, though, gives the team hope. Depth exists and Ciaran Hearn is playing his best, scoring in the loss against Gloucester this weekend.

Oyonnax and Agen
Should anyone be in need of some quick cash and be willing to take a risk then betting not Oyonnax and Agen being relegated from the Top 14 to the Pro d2 looks pretty solid. After 12 rounds they are 13th and 14th on 14 and 10 competition points respectively. Of great concern is the comparable roster depth to that of others in the bottom half of the standings. For Oyonnax the loss of Benjamín Urdapilleta to Castres has been profound.