Team of the Week

A great week of rugby with the Americas Pacific Challenge getting underway while the Rugby Championship and South American ‘B’ Championship sign off. The Aviva Premiership was in full flight, there were good performances in the Mitre 10 Cup, and amazingly not a single player has been picked from France this week despite both the Top 14 and Pro D2 being fully operational. This time next week we’ll be assessing the first round of European competition!

1 – Mateo Sanguinetti (Uruguay ‘A’) Played a big part in the scrum that won two penalty tries and had the heavyweight Samoan front row under huge pressure. Fast becoming one of the premier loosehead props in South America. Not bad considering he was playing lock at u20 level just four years ago.

2 – Agustín Creevy (Argentina) Another excellent performance, this time more heavily involved with ball in hand. Neck-and-neck with Dane Coles as the world’s premier rake, Creevy will hopefully get a chance to kick his feet up for a few days before departing for Japan in a couple weeks.

3 – Mario Sagario (Uruguay ‘A’) Honorable mention to Jake Ilnicki, who earned his first start for Manawatu in the big win over Wellington on Wednesday and then appeared as a reserve against Bay of Plenty on Sunday. The winner has to be Sagario, however, for his completely dominant performance in the scrum against Samoa ‘A’. Uruguay earned two penalty tries from the set piece and captain Sagario nearly led his men to a shock win.

4 – Josh Larsen (Northland) Came on as a replacement at the half-hour mark and made a significant contribution, though his team couldn’t quite get the win against Southland. Could still afford to add a few extra helpings to his dinner routine but his work rate and enthusiasm are top notch.

5 – Mariano Galarza (Gloucester) Trying desperately hard to revive Gloucester’s fortunes with some sterling work at the set piece and especially in defense. Has made more tackles than anyone else in the Premiership over the past two weeks – an incredible 43! He’s missed a couple along the way but when you put your shoulder on the line on that many occasions you’re allowed a few free passes.

6 – Pablo Matera (Argentina) Samu Manoa got a rare start on the flank for Toulon and Justin Blanchet was named man-of-the-match in a rainy match for Bedford, but we’ll opt for Matera for his significant offensive output against the Wallabies. Helped fill the void left by Facundo Isa though it was in vain as Argentina stumbled at Twickenham.

7 – Tony Lamborn (Hawke’s Bay) Another week, another all-action effort with the Magpies. Never far from the ball and rewarded with his third try of the season, though his team were ultimately well beaten by Waikato. Looks in great form heading towards November.

8 – Benjamín Macome (Argentina XV) Welcome back! His first competitive match since returning from France could not have gone any better. Scored an incredible four tries himself and his offload set up another. Now looks to be in prime contention for a return to the Pumas for the November tests. Colombia’s Sebastián Mejia picked a bad week to have a good game!

9 – Martín Landajo (Argentina) Looked back to near his best with some darting runs around the fringes and high tempo distribution. Continues to shade Tomás Cubelli for the starting role, and he will now have to be wary of Felipe Ezcurra and Gonzalo Bertranou who are impressing in Montevideo.

10 – Jerónimo Etcheverry (Uruguay ‘A’) Has won the majority of his 43 test caps as a wing or fullback but is now getting a good look from Los Teros coach Esteban Meneses at flyhalf. He put in a pretty respectable performance against Samoa on Saturday, scoring 17 points with the boot and nearly orchestrating an upset win over the Pacific Islanders.

11 – Chris Wyles (Saracens) Moved back to the wing and played a key role in the impressive victory over Wasps at Allianz Park. Challenged the line repeatedly, breaking it three times, and put in a superb defensive performance with several important tackles.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) The Falcons are winning and their Argentine midfielder is having a huge impact on their attack. Scored the opening try just minutes into the match and created another to build a 19-0 halftime lead. Strong enough to hold out in defense against a fierce Bristol assault in the second half.

13 – Nicolás Freitas (Uruguay ‘A’) The toughest choice of the week with Conor Trainor and Jerónimo de la Fuente also worthy of selection, but there can be only one. Two tries against Samoa in a very promising outing for the 23-year-old who has done his chances no harm of claiming the first-choice centre spot alongside Joaquín Prada for November.

14 – Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates) His team lost to Yorkshire Carnegie but not before the Canadian star scored a mesmerizing solo try that started inside his own 22 metre line. Jeff Hassler might be out, but if Evans and a few others are still in one piece come November, Canada can still field a dangerous backline full of professional players.

15 – Mike Te’o (USA Selects) The Americans were given a thorough lesson in attacking rugby by Fiji but Te’o showed his class when he did get opportunities. One blistering run should have resulted in a long-range try. He’ll captain the team today, a reward for his commitment and consistency.