Team of the Week

The World Cup festivities and a heap of signing news threw us off bay a day, but we’re finally here with our pack from the best of last weekend. It was a good week for the Jaguares who had an exciting match against the Sunwolves, while a few players scattered about Europe earned our attention. Lastly three standouts from the Rounsefell Cup final in BC got the nod as we inch closer towards test season.

1 – Carlos Muzzio (Mont-de-Marsan) Dominant in the scrum and a workhorse in the loose. Put in a big 70 minute shift, coming off the game in the balance. It was Biarritz who eventually came out on top but Stade Montois are still in the hunt for Top 14 promotion.

2 – Agustín Creevy (Jaguares) We could just copy and paste the same thing from last week. The guy is a machine. Now would be a good time for a couple weeks off before England arrives.

3 – Ryan Ackerman (Burnaby Lake) His team deserved to have someone selected after their second half fightback against UBC. They couldn’t pull it out in the end but the big man certainly did some damage, most notably in the scrum as he won a penalty try to kick-start the revival.

4 – Patricio Albacete (Toulouse) A fitting end to more than a decade’s worth of contributions at one of the world’s most storied clubs. Came off the pitch to great applause in the 73rd minute, followed shortly thereafter by his old mate Thierry Dusautoir.

5 – Javier Lagioiosa (Vannes) His team wanted to end their season on a high and did they ever deliver. A 56-0 hammering over Bourgoin assured Vannes of their place in Pro D2 next season. The towering Argentine played the full match and as usual provided first class possession at the set piece.

6 – David Tameilau (Narbonne) Employed on the side of the scrum this week but still played the role of battering ram with several carries into heavy traffic. With the defense forced to commit the space opened out wide and Narbonne got the win they needed to avoid relegation.

7 – Tomás Lezana (Jaguares) Perfect link play to put Boffelli into the corner and an outstanding game in general from one of the form players in Argentina. Ready to become a top class international after biding his time as an apprentice.

8 – Leonardo Senatore (Jaguares) On the spot for the first try and never far in support. Strong match defensively and a presence at the lineout. With Facundo Isa out of the picture he will be a key man for the Pumas in the coming months.

9 – Jorden Sandover-Best (UBC Thunderbirds) Swift of deed and mind, the little maestro guided the T-Birds to their third consecutive Rounsefell Cup title on Saturday. It wasn’t just his offense either. Despite being the smallest player on the pitch he never shirked a tackle and won a key turnover in the first half.

10 – AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks) Saved his best for last. Outstanding in all facets as the Sharks defeated Bath on Saturday. It was a slow start but his end-of-season form has convinced head coach Steve Diamond that maybe he is the man for the job after all. The Eagles selectors will also be feeling pretty confident with their star player peaking just in time for the World Cup Qualifiers.

11 – Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares) Looks to be nearing full operational capacity with his knee injury now a thing of the past. Finished his try well an caused problems with every touch of the ball.

12 – Juan Martín Hernández (Jaguares) Comedic blunder cost his team a try at the end of the first half but otherwise the veteran played well. Challenged the line, put his runners in space, and scored seven points with the boot.

13 – Juan Mangione (Chambéry) Two tries against Nevers, one in each half, has given his club every chance of winning promotion to Pro D2 next season with a nine-point lead heading into the second leg this weekend. It’s thus ironic that his chief competition this week was Conor Trainor, who had an excellent 30 minute try-scoring cameo as a replacement in what might be his final match for Vannes after signing with Nevers for next season.

14 – Santiago Cordero (Jaguares) Under threat for his international spot with several options for Argentina out wide, Cordero delivered in a big way on Saturday. Raced past defenders but somehow didn’t quite make it on the score sheet.

15 – Andrew Coe (UBC Thunderbirds) Three tries in a Cup Final is certainly a day to remember. To do so in front of the National Senior Men’s Head Coach makes it even sweeter. Look for the Markham, Ontario, native to be making his mark on the international stage again in the near future.