2018 ARC Preview – Uruguay

The 2018 edition of the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) starts this Saturday, January 27. The success of the 2016 and 2017 tournaments means this year’s edition is the most anticipated yet.

Added to the suspense is the fact that the tournament opener doubles as a Rugby World Cup 2019 qualifier. Canada host Uruguay to kick off the 2018 ARC in Vancouver. Los Teros then host the reverse fixture on Saturday, February 3. The winner, on aggregate, qualifies for Japan 2019 as Americas 2.

2017 FORM

The year 2017 was as memorable as any in the history of Uruguayan rugby. Los Teros started the year with a 3-2 record in the ARC. Overall Uruguay finished third behind the USA and the Argentina XV. Losses against both occurred in the opening two rounds. Los Teros then rebounded to defeat Brazil 23-12, Canada 17-13, and Chile 45-14.

In May Los Teros played in the South American A Championship which doubled as Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifiers. Uruguay went undefeated to continue their quest towards Japan 2019. First up was a 45-19 win over Paraguay. From there Uruguay defeated Brazil 41-27 and Chile 27-11.

The annual June Internationals saw change. For the first time Uruguay hosted the World Rugby Nations Cup. Los Teros had a tremendously successful campaign. It started with a 30-21 victory over Emerging Italy. Russia challenge hard but Los Teros would win 32-29 and the tournament ended with a 24-14 win over Spain.

In October Uruguay hosted the 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge, a competition featuring ‘A’ sides. It served as vital preparation for the November Internationals for all involved. Uruguay was able to come out of it with a clear picture for 2018.

The clarity of Uruguay’s preparation was confirmed in the November Internationals. Los Teros made history by (a) playing two test matches in Africa and (b) by winning them both. Uruguay defeated Namibia 52-36 and 39-34. Indeed Namibia is widely tipped to win Africa 1 spot and qualify directly for Japan 2019.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Uruguay enters the ARC at full strength. The same cannot be said of prior campaigns. The difference now is that European club players have been included. It remains to be seen if the overseas professionals will stick with the side any longer than the opening round and subsequent World Cup Qualifier with Canada.

This includes the Rodrigo Capó Ortega who is out of international retirement. He has a resume including playing in Rugby World Cup 2003 and winning the Top 14 in 2013. By all accounts he is the best player ever produced by Uruguay and the significance of his inclusion cannot be understated.

Veteran No 8 Alejandro Nieto was the star forward against Namibia. He has long been among Uruguay’s best players. Younger forwards have rapidly risen to prove their importance. Second-rowers Manuel Leindekar and Ignacio Dotti exemplify this.

Agustín Ormaechea is another inclusion from France. But his spot may well be on the bench. The outstanding Santiago Arata has the makings of becoming a world-class scrumhalf with his ability to find holes in any defense. Felipe Berchesi is coming off impressive form in France and is a very accomplished flyhalf.

Berchesi will ask a lot of questions against the Canadians. He will have quality outside him. Juan Manuel Cat and Nicolás Freitas are both dangerous players with speed and power. Uruguay’s backs have developed significantly since Capó Ortega’s last appearance in 2014.

VERDICT

Uruguay finished in the top half of both the 2017 and 2017 competitions. On both occasions this represented exceeding their expectations. For 2018 with the boosted roster there is every reason to suggest Uruguay can repeat this or even finish higher.

FIXTURES

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