Team of the Week

What a terrible week for Americas teams. Of the six involved in November tour matches, all six were defeated by their opponents. Chile’s catastrophic collapse in the second half against South Korea was the worst of the bunch. With such results we debated including European-based club players in this week’s selection but with a full eight teams to choose from – including the World Cup qualifier played in Asunción – there was really no excuse not to find one decent player at each position. Even so we’ve reached outside those eight in one selection, though in this case we believe the choice is more than warranted.

1 – Emilio Gorostiaga (Paraguay) While the Paraguayan scrum was on skates no thanks in large part to Colombian loosehead Jaider Pemberthy, their mobility in the loose was a major plus in wearing down the Tucanes defense. Gorostiaga fared better in the set piece than Álvaro Rojas on the tighthead side, and in the loose he showed impressive agility. He touched the ball twice in one scoring move, the first time showing soft hands as a link man and the second running a great line to score the try himself.

2 – Ray Barkwill (Canada) The set piece has been an area of concern for Canadian fans heading into November and credit must go to Barkwill & Co. for manning up against the odds. No scrum demolition took place in Bucharest and the lineout was on song for the second consecutive match. There was even a magic moment when Barkwill – of all people – raced back to cover a loose ball in-goal ahead of any fleet-footed backs. Another fine outing from La Flama Blanca.

3 – Jake Ilnicki (Canada) Challenged to hold the scrum against the fearsome Romanians and did all that was asked. Also repeated the work rate around the fringes that earned him plaudits in Dublin. At only 24 his best years are still ahead of him with the 2019 World Cup the perfect time to hit peak performance.

4 – Matías Alemanno (Argentina) In a clearly fatigued Pumas side the stand-in enforcer made his presence felt. Not quite Lavanini-esque in terms of brute force but he put himself about with several strong tackles in defense and proved a reliable target in the lineout.

5 – Evan Olmstead (Canada) Like his aforementioned tight five mates, he and second row partner Brett Beukeboom have also put in some quality work in the past couple test matches. Olmstead gets the nod for his strong lineout presence and hard-nosed defense.

6 – Sebastián Mejía (Colombia) The inspirational captain of Los Tucanes was arguably the best player on the field in Asunción. Dominant in the lineout and immense with ball in hand. If we were naming a South American XV to play against Argentina tomorrow, he would be one of the first names on the team sheet. Shifts from no8 to the blindside in our team to accommodate another outstanding leader.

7 – Tony Lamborn (USA) Made a big impact in the loose both with his carrying and incessant tackling. It’s not a surprise, he’s been doing the same for weeks now with Hawke’s Bay. Why he wasn’t starting against Romania only John Mitchell knows.

8 – Sergio Parisse (Italy) Led his team to a famous first-ever victory over the Springboks. That says it all.

9 – Martín Landajo (Argentina) Another who stood strong in the middle of some tired teammates. Threatened on the fringes with one clean break nearly resulting in a try. Directed the forwards and gave his all until replaced for the final quarter by Tomás Cubelli.

10 – Jerónimo Echeverry (Uruguay) Most have wondered where the heck the rest of his team was. Challenged the line constantly and made two huge breaks, only to look around and find no blue jerseys in sight. Came off before the final quarter with a bang on the shoulder but comes away from the match with his reputation intact, which is more than most of Los Teros can claim after another frustrating defeat.

11 – Héctor Gayoso (Paraguay) Not quite an out-and-out gas man but a good footballer who isn’t afraid to come in off his wing to find work, as evidenced by his opportune try that came from an offload on the opposite side of the pitch. Also a very handy kicker who added 14 points with six successful shots at goal.

12 – Marcel Brache (USA) Like Lamborn and others, a mystery absentee against Romania. We finally got to see Brache in an Eagles jersey and he looked class with ball in hand, as we knew he would. His silky running style is probably better suited to outside centre. Maybe we’ll see him there next June?

13 – Sebastián Urbieta (Paraguay) The wild-haired fulcrum of the Yakares attack, he was a nightmare for Colombia to deal with every time he touched the ball. Also showed off his distribution skills with a couple wonderful offloads. Looks very much capable of playing at a higher level.

14 – Tomás Ianiszewski (Chile) Played on the left wing but we’ve drafted him onto the right. Finished off a hat-trick of tries with good footwork and a nose for the line before the rot set in. Thankfully the other three-try performance in the game by South Korea’s Hang-Yul Park was on the opposite side of the pitch.

15 – José Diosa (Colombia) Perhaps not as busy as he would have liked in the loose with the Tucanes employing a forwards-first approach. Showed his class with 12 points from the boot in the opening quarter including a very neatly-struck drop goal.