ARC Team of the Week – Round 4

This week saw two blowout scores and one upset, and it’s the two big winners who dominate our weekly selection. While Uruguay’s historic win was a laudable team accomplishment, in truth both teams failed to live up to expectations in a game riddled with penalties and rudimentary errors. With one week to go several players have positioned themselves well to make our tournament Dream Team, but there’s still time for those in the bubble to strengthen their case.

1 – Franco Brarda (Argentina XV) A busy game in the loose that saw him pick up a try after being the first in support behind a streaking Germán Schulz. More than held his own in the scrum, forcing Caíque Silva to be replaced after only 30 minutes and giving Vitor Ancina something to think about as well.

2 – Peter Malcolm (USA) Came on as a reserve 10 minutes into the second half, but it was as good a half-hour as any hooker could hope to have. Inch-perfect with his lineout throwing, a big impact in the loose, and two breakaway tries in a span of two minutes. Write his name down for the June tests.

3 – Chris Baumann (USA) Nothing spectacular but a solid all-around effort from the mighty mustachio. Won a key scrum battle on his own 5 meter line that held Chile out with the score still only 17-6.

4 – Matt Jensen (USA) His first test start was a memorable one. Grew into the game, started with the basics and added a few extras. Worked hard to get to David Tameilau and was rewarded with his first international try. A presence in the lineout and put in a few solid carries.

5 – Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV) A massive game from a massive man. Swatted away defenders and smashed through rucks. Two line breaks and a try from close range to go with a decent lineout performance. Top marks for the San Isidro giant.

6 – Tomás de la Vega (Argentina XV) Played at no8 but we’ve shifted him to the flank. Very strong all-around effort with a number of powerful carries and a high work rate in defense. Cleaned up scrappy ball and grabbed a pair of tries from close range.

7 – Tony Lamborn (USA) Another terrific game from one of the players of the tournament so far. In the middle of everything for the Eagles. Scored two tries himself and put in two huge spin passes to create tries for Cam Dolan and David Tameilau. Also used to good effect in the lineout.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) An excellent match at the base of the scrum. Won a couple turnovers at the breakdown and terrorized the Chilean defense with his carrying. Long strides put him in under the posts from the Shaun Davies hack ahead and Lamborn’s wild pass.

9 – Sebastián Cancelliere (Argentina XV) Stepped back into the starting lineup and sparked the offense to a huge day at the office. Plays with huge tempo and is never shy to take on the line. Several line breaks and two more tries. His replacement Lautaro Bazán also bagged a double in the final quarter, while Shaun Davies and Santiago Arata also played well.

10 – Ben Cima (USA) Just the type of composed performance one would hope to see from a young flyhalf. Never looked indecisive and read the play well, either on attack or dropping back to cover kicks. Knocked over eight shots at goal to finish with 17 points and take the lead in ARC scoring.

11 – Nate Augspurger (USA) Credit to John Mitchell, the little scrumhalf was a surprise choice on the wing against Brazil and has adapted well. Has excellent acceleration and footwork that saw him make several clean breaks against Chile. His main weakness is awareness out wide where he was forced into touch on a couple occasions. Cheeky inside ball to Peter Malcolm for the final score was a thing of beauty.

12 – Moisés Duque (Brazil) His country’s best player in Ushuaia by some distance, and that can probably be applied to the tournament as a whole. Scored a wonderful try as he skipped through two tackles to give the Tupis an unlikely lead. Created several other opportunities that would likely have been tries were it not for poor handling from his teammates.

13 – Conor Trainor (Canada) Another who must be frustrated with his team’s performance. Absolutely lethal with every touch of the ball but hardly got a sniff in the first half. His second half try gave the team hope late in the game, and he nearly sparked immediately after.

14 – Germán Schulz (Argentina XV) Leandro Leivas had the most extraordinary individual try of the weekend but Schulz delivered for the whole game. Came off his wing looking for work repeatedly and created two tries. His offload put Brarda over and an interception gave him one of his own.

15 – Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina XV) His first competitive game back in moths was only the second half but what a performance it was. Looked class from the moment he touched the ball, creating a score for Cancelliere after slicing through the line. His individual try was one of the best scores in the tournament.