Match Preview – Uruguay vs Canada

For a second week in a row Canada will be involved in the main event as they travel south to Maldonado for a match that will define the Americas Rugby Championship for the winner. Uruguay have come loaded for bear with their strongest selection of the competition, with Canada also reaching for experience in what should be a very close encounter between two sides level on competition points with six each.

Esteban Meneses has opted for only two changes to his team after the convincing but unrefined win over Brazil. Mario Sagario has been surprisingly left on the bench but there looks to be method behind the madness. His replacement Juan Echeverría has played well but most importantly presents a very awkward challenge for his opposite Rob Brouwer, who stands a good six inches taller than Echeverría. That extra leverage could prove decisive in the scrum.

The other switch sees Franco Lamanna come in on the blindside flank in place of Gonzalo Soto. Lamanna is a tactical selection. Often selected as a lock, he is more adept at close quarter combat than Soto. While the evening kickoff should spare the Canadians from the searing heat, a battle of attrition seems highly likely from the Teros given the strength of their pack. A deep bench with World Cup trio Diego Magno, Sagario, and Gastón Mieres all set to ensure standards remain high.

Canada are boosted by the arrival of Cornish Pirates lock Brett Beukeboom, who adds his strength and experience to a pack that looked very green against the Eagles. Clay Panga gets the call on the flank with Lucas Rumball wearing no7 this week. In terms of pure beef the only significant difference is in the front row, where Canada outweigh their opponents by nearly 40kg (90lbs).

Gordon McRorie is recalled as captain and scrumhalf after Phil Mack struggled to impose himself against the Eagles. Has familiarity with Robbie Povey at the Wolf Pack should make their connection a smooth one, which is potentially good news for potent midfield pairing Nick Blevins and especially Conor Trainor.

Indeed the most significant point of different in the Canadian side looks to be their France-based outside centre. Trainor’s stock has risen markedly since committing to the XV-a-side game and this match seems tailor-made for someone of his qualities to make a real impact. Debutante Kainoa Lloyd is another one to watch. The Ontario Blues winger has pace and power to burn, it’s his handling and defense that will have to be up to par on Saturday.

Los Teros have traditionally struggled against Canada with their last win notably coming at home in 2002. On paper the personnel don’t look far apart this time, and playing in familiar territory makes them a legitimate challenge in this match. If Canada can achieve parity at the set piece – their lineout has thus far been distressingly poor – then they should have enough explosive force out wide to get the job done. It’s a big if, however, and Uruguay will be well aware that their fate rests in the technical superiority of their forward batteries.

 

URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Martín Espiga, 3 Juan Echeverría, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Diego Ayala, 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (capt.), 7 Franco Lamanna, 8 Alejandro Nieto, 9 Santiago Arata, 10 Germán Albanell, 11 Nicolás Freitas, 12 Andrés Vilaseca, 13 Juan Manuel Cat, 14 Leandro Leivas, 15 Rodrigo Silva

Replacements: 16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Matías Benítez, 18 Mario Sagario, 19 Juan Diego Ormaechea, 20 Diego Magno, 21 Guillermo Lijtenstein, 22 Gastón Gibernau, 23 Gastón Mieres

CANADA
1 Rob Brouwer, 2 Ray Barkwill, 3 Matt Tierney, 4 Brett Beukeboom, 5 Reegan O’Gorman, 6 Clay Panga, 7 Lucas Rumball, 8 Admir Cejvanovic, 9 Gordon McRorie (capt.), 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Nick Blevins, 13 Conor Trainor, 14 Dan Moor, 15 Brock Staller

Replacements: 16 Eric Howard, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Cole Keith, 19 Liam Chisholm, 20 Matt Beukeboom, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Gradyn Bowd, 23 Guiseppe du Toit

 

Date: Saturday, February 25
Venue: Estadio Domingo Burgueño, Maldonado
Kickoff: 20:00 local (15:00 Pacific, 18:00 Eastern)
Referee: Derek Summers (USAR)
Assistants: Joaquín Montes (URU) & Rodrigo Goyret (URU)
Broadcasts: ESPN, TSN Go