Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly feature on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.

 

UP

Uruguay
Los Teros are well positioned to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019. They head into the second of two matches for the Americas 2 spot with a 9+ advantage over Canada. Uruguay were underdogs in Vancouver yet were clear and deserved winners. Their 5 tries to 4 performance included brilliant finishing and a determined team effort. Canada had periods in which they were on top yet resilient defense combined with conditioned players saw the South Americans claiming an historic win.

Pablo Matera
The new captain of Los Jaguares is Pablo Matera. The 24-year-old takes over from Agustín Creevy who will remain the captain of Argentina. Matera is a PladAR success story, having gone through the junior program and Los Pampas XV prior to debuting for Argentina against Chile at the age of 19. A month after his 20th birthday he was starting against South Africa in the Rugby Championship in 2013. Remaining a permanent feature in Los Pumas, Matera has now amassed 46 caps. His first professional contract was in England. He moved to the Leicester Tigers in 2013 before returning to Argentina to prepare for Super Rugby in 2015. With Los Jaguares he has made 22 appearances this far.

Bautista Delguy
Los Jaguares are entering the new Super Rugby campaign without Santiago Cordero and Manuel Montero. They are among the leading Pumas wingers today. Officially Emiliano Boffelli, Sebatián Cancelliere, and Ramiro Moyano are the wingers on the roster. Bautista Delguy can be added. He was an invitational player from Mario Ledesma and had a superb match on Saturday. He scored two tries, showing great speed in the win over the Argentina XV.

Eagles, Pumas Sevens
Argentina finished 3rd and the USA 4th in the Sydney Sevens. The teams finished in these positions after contesting the Bronze Final in Australia’s largest city. Argentina won the match 31-12 to seal a spot on the podium. In the Cup Semi Finals Argentina were well beaten by Australia and the USA similarly lost heavily against South Africa. Australia went on to win the tournament with a 29-0 win over South Africa in the Final. Canada recovered from disappointing performances on the previous days to finish 13th overall.

Americas Sevens Series
The next step in the continued evolution of rugby in the Americas has been revealed. Plans are underway for the new Americas Sevens Series to potentially begin in November 2018. The Americas Sevens Series is to replace the Sudamérica Rugby Sevens, yet not only will it see the inclusion of both South America and North America it will also be a circuit. The idea is to have the competition played over four legs two of which would be in North America and two in South America. There is confirmed interest in hosting from Chile, Uruguay and Peru in South America and Bermuda, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and the USA from North America.

San Diego Legion
The San Diego Legion had a big week but not on the field. The Californian side announced the addition of four US Eagles to their roster for the 2018 Major League Rugby season. Brett Thompson, Nate Augspurger, Cam Dolan, and Tony Purpura were officially unveiled on Friday. They were added to Dylan Audsley, Mike Te’o, Ryan Matyas, and Ben Cima, giving the Legion a growing roster that looms as being very competitive.

Houston SaberCats
After a couple learning experiences against the UBCOB Ravens and Uruguay, the Cats got their preseason back on track with a dominant 42-13 win over visiting Canadian club side James Bay on a damp Saturday evening at Constellation Field. After a competitive first 40 minutes that saw the score 20-10 at the break, the superior fitness of the professional side saw them pull away in the final quarter. They host the Capital Selects this coming Saturday.

Juan Imhoff
On his return from suspension Juan Imhoff took Racing 92 to victory away to Castres. The Argentine flier scored two tries in what was an 18-13 victory. With the win Racing 92 are tied with La Rochelle for second spot in the Top 14. They are just one point below league leaders, Montpellier. The Top 14 will take a break now for the opening rounds of the Six Nations. It is to return on February 17. Racing 92 play host to La Rochelle on February 18.

Franco Sábato, Ben Pinkelman, Britt Benn
A trio of Americas players were named to official HSBC Dream Teams following the Sydney Sevens. Sábato continues to be one of Argentina’s most consistent and effective players with the winger playing a leadership role in the Bronze finish. Pinkelman is quickly developing into a world class forward for the Eagles alongside the established Danny Barrett. Benn was the best Americas player in the women’s bracket that saw Canada secure a Bronze.

 

UNDER

Canada
Canada are on the verge of being sent into Rugby World Cup qualification Repechage for the first time. Their 38-29 home defeat was the result of defensive flaws and Uruguay being more than up to the task. The well prepared Uruguayans took their chances while Canada nervously tried to climb their way back. Uruguay won by a notable margin yet it could have been 12 points more had Felipe Berchesi landed his penalties. Now Canada must win by 10 points or more in Montevideo this coming Saturday. A failure to do so will see Uruguay claiming Americas 2.

Brazil Roster Release
The Americas Rugby Championship kicked-off in Vancouver on Saturday. Yet Brazil’s roster for the tournament had not yet been confirmed publicly. The players for the tournament were informed on Friday from the CBRu with the roster only due to be released today, Monday. Such a late announcement reflects poorly on the part of the CBRu. While their organization has made significant progress in recent years their communications department is not up to the required standards.

Jaguares Injuries
Agustín Creevy missed out on Saturday’s warm-up match as a precaution. This saw Julián Montoya playing hooker. No other player is currently on the roster as a hooker. Creevy is expected to be fine to travel to South Africa on February 06 with Los Jaguares. But there are to be a number of roster members unfit for the tour. Confirmed as missing out are Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, and Matías Moroni. Props Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and Franco Brarda are in a race against time to make the plane.

Jaguares Eightmen
Los Jaguares have Benjamín Macome and Leonardo Senatore as their specialist No8s. Yet against the Argentina XV Macome played second-row on Saturday. He also was used in the position last year in Super Rugby. Meanwhile the Argentina XV has Santiago Montagner and Rodrigo Bruni. Both players scored tries against Los Jaguares on Saturday. They are notably younger and appear to be better suited for Los Pumas in 2018 and 2019 at the back of the scrum.

Chris Wyles
Former US Eagles captain and long-time Saracens star Chris Wyles will retire from rugby at the end of the 2017-18 Aviva Premiership season. Ending weeks of speculation, the 34-year-old confirmed the news on Wednesday. It brings the curtains down on a glittering career than has seen him reach the heights of the game in both domestic and international rugby. He has collected three Premiership championships along the way and is the winner of back-to-back European Champions Cup titles. His test career ended following his third World Cup in 2015. With 54 caps he is one of nine players to achieve the half-century for the USA and his 16 test tries falls behind only Vaea Anitoni and Paul Emerick.

Agen
Lyon scored ten tries on Saturday to humiliate Agen 71-17 at the Stade de Gerland on Saturday. It was a result which underlines Agen as a team in deep trouble as the relegation race heats up. The club is 13th ahead only of Oyonnax. The hammering against Lyon took place with Facundo Bosch starting and Ignacio Mieres and Dave Ryan involved as replacements. Mieres landed a conversion but this was a very forgettable afternoon for Agen.