Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
We’ve now reached the mid-point of the season with teams looking to jockey themselves into position for the run-in and a shot at promotion to the Top 14 in 2017-18. The French second division has never been so close, with only 4 points separating 5th place Colomiers and 1st place Montauban heading into the weekend, meaning any of the top five clubs could be sitting at the top of the table come Monday.
Kicking off the weekend was a hugely important 26-12 win for Mont-de-Marsan over Vannes at the Stade de la Rabine with an incredible eight Americas players taking part. Martín García Veiga and Conor Trainor started at hooker and centre respectively for the home side while second row Javier Lagioiosa, prop Eric Fry, and flyhalf Bautista Güemes all appeared off the bench. The winning side featured Argentines on either side of the front row with Carlos Muzzio at loosehead and Jerónimo Negrotto playing tighthead, and Uruguay’s feisty Agustín Ormaechea running the show from scrumhalf. Amazingly not one point in the match was scored by an Americas player!
Friday will see another seven spread across five different games. David Tameilau starts his fourth game in a row at no8 for Narbonne who welcome Carcassonne to the Parc des Sports. Leandro Pérez Galeone also wears no8 for Bourgoin who are playing host to Aurillac. Martín Chiappesoni is again on the side of the scrum for Dax against Béziers.
Jamie Cudmore and Oyonnax face off against Biarritz and Leandro Assi at Stade Charles Mathon. Agen play one of their most important games of the year against Montauban with Taylor Paris on the wing and Dave Ryan providing prop cover from the bench.
Sunday’s match sees Colomiers traveling to Charente. Agustin Costa Repetto and Ariel Castellina are likely to be named for Colomiers while Sebastián Poet and Facundo Panceya Garrido are virtual certainties to be in the home side.
