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. With many significant activities this week an extra-long list in both the Up and Under categories is required.

 

UP

Uruguay
Uruguay are once again Americas 2. Los Teros clinched the coveted Rugby World Cup qualifying spot by defeating Canada twice. The remarkable series win has sent shock waves through Canada while Uruguay continues to celebrate their most significant achievement outside of playing in a Rugby World Cup itself. Uruguay’s win on Saturday was based on the key principles of determination, preparation, and teamwork. Added to this was a style of play which underlined enormous progress to that of past teams. Uruguay truly has experienced a new dawn.

Brazil
History was made in Santiago on Saturday. For the first time Os Tupis defeated Los Cóndores in Chile. The victory was also Brazil’s first success away from home in the Americas Rugby Championship. Brazil only scored one try. It came from prop Jardel Vettorato. Chile scored two, one a penalty try. Brazil’s win came courtesy of having far better discipline than Los Cóndores. Josh Reeves kicked 11 points while Tomás Ianiszewski only had one penalty opportunity for Chile.

USA
The Eagles became the first team to defeat the Argentina XV in the Americas Rugby Championship, winning 17-10 in a thriller that went down to the wire at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles. A last-gasp attack from the visitors saw Rodrigo Bruni cross the line only to knock on in the tackle from Hanco Germishuys to end the match. Had Bruni scored a successful conversion would still have been required just to seal a draw. Flankers Germishuys and Tony Lamborn got the better of their fancied opponents. Titi Lamositele, Ryan Matyas, and Mike Te’o also also impressed for the Eagles.

Bolivia
This past week saw the Federación Boliviana de Rugby (FBR) or Bolivia Rugby officially being recognized by the National Bolivian Olympic Committee. It marks a key step in the continued development of rugby in the Andean country. Involved in the process was Chilean Miguel Ángel Mujica, a former President of Chile Rugby, and President of the Chilean National Olympic Committee. This year Bolivia will play host to the 11th South American Games. They are to take place in Cochabamba from May 26 to June 8. The FBR and Sudamérica Rugby have been working together to help prepare for the event in addition to enabling the incorporation of the union into the continental body.

Santiago Cordero
The Argentine World Cup star made his debut for Exeter Chiefs on Saturday. He made an immediate impact, making clean breaks to instantly become a fan favorite at Sandy Park. His move to England marks his first time playing for a club outside of Argentina. Cordero’s contract runs until the end of the current season, though he admits he is hoping to extend it pending the results of a possible change in Pumas selection policy being discussed next month.  For the time being he will be eligible to play for Los Pumas this year so long as he does not extend his contract or join another European club.

Rodrigo Capó Ortega
The decision of the Teros legend to come out of international retirement had Canadians concerned, and rightly so. Yet the extent in which he did so was vast, more so than many observers realized until seeing him play. Capó Ortega was a massive boost off the field and this is where he was expected to contribute significantly. On the field he was a standout player, perhaps even exceeding expectations to help propel Uruguay towards Japan 2019. Could he be Uruguay’s first inductee into the World Rugby Hall of Fame?

Americas Rugby Championship
It’s fair to say that none of the results from the opening round of the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship have gone according to script. Canada was expected to defeat Uruguay in Vancouver, Chile were favorites against Brazil in Santiago, while the Argentina XV entered their game against the USA as the tournament favorites. All told the picture painted highlights the success of the competition since its creation in 2016 and the ever-evolving nature of rugby in the region. Rugby is growing in popularity and the Americas has a system of inclusion which is to the benefit of all participants.

Pumas June Internationals
Argentina will play three home test matches in June. Los Pumas will begin with a two-match series against Wales before hosting Scotland for one match. It means that Wales will play in Argentina for the first time since 2006. Scotland’s most recent appearance was in 2014. Both teams are thereby to be fresh for the locals. San Juan, Santa Fé and Resistencia have been allocated hosting rights for these matches. This means a continuation with the policy of spreading home matches around the country.

 

UNDER

Argentina XV
A dire performance from the Argentina XV on Saturday saw the team suffering a first-ever defeat in the Americas Rugby Championship. Felipe Contepomi’s team only scored one try yet managed to butcher three others. The team was erratic in attack and failed to capitalise on scoring opportunities. This included a try erased after captain Lautaro Bavaro committed a neck roll offense at a ruck. The level of play on offer in many positions was far short of what is required to produced future Pumas. Many players performed below expectations. Second row Ignacio Larrague was the team’s standout player.

Argentine Props
Titi Lamositele controlled the scrums in Los Angeles. Francisco Ferronato and Benjamín Espinal had a complicated match. It was the latest warning sign that Argentina’s shortcomings at prop runs extremely deep. The country simply does not have an adequate supply of players in the position right now. Some have departed for Europe in recent months while injuries have only served to expose the real extent of the problem. The Daniel Hourcade option of ignoring the historical significance of the scrum has taken Argentina to the current predicament. Felipe Arregui, Santiago García Botta, and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro are the only capped props players for Super Rugby. All were unable to train last week with Los Jaguares.

Canada
A strong start in Montevideo had Canada swiftly canceling-out Uruguay’s advantage that they brought with them from Vancouver. Early tries from wingers DTH van der Merwe and Taylor Paris put Canada 15-0 up after 25 minutes. Unfortunately Canada’s third try would not come until the 70th minute. By then Uruguay had scored three of their own. Felipe Berchesi landed five of seven shots in an improved showing from his subpar effort a week ago. Canada now need to navigate the Americas Rugby Championship before identifying a new path to get through Repechage and earn the final qualifying spot for Japan 2019.

Canada’s November Internationals
Canada will not have a traditional European tour this November. Instead the Canucks will be fighting for their lives in a Rugby World Cup Repechage series. They will be facing three teams from Africa, Europe, and Asia who are still to be confirmed. This underlines the humiliation for Canada, a proud team who have played in every Rugby World Cup to date have never before failed to qualify as Americas 1. It also threatens significant economic damage as sponsors are unlikely to be enamored with test matches against the likes of Hong Kong or Uganda.

Shane O’Leary
The last-gasp try from DTH van der Merwe gave Canada a shot to at least salvage a test victory in Montevideo, and with it vital World Rugby Rankings points. Instead a bizarre scene unfolded. O’Leary inexplicably attempted a snap drop-goal conversion and the referee blew his whistle for full time. The decision caught everyone unawares, even the camera man which left those watching the broadcast baffled as it appeared that no conversion had been attempted at all. It seems O’Leary thought there was still time on the clock, though one further score would still have not been enough to close the aggregate deficit. His ‘brain fart’ soured an otherwise acceptable effort in his return from injury and left Canadian coach Kingsley Jones shaking his head in disbelief.

Chile
The 2018 Americas Rugby Championship may well see Chile going winless. Los Cóndores blew their best shot at victory by losing to Brazil on Saturday. More concerning than the result of the one match is the manner in which Chile fell off in the late stages. The players clearly were not conditioned to a level capable of enduring 80 minutes of international rugby. Brazil’s use of the bench proved to be an important part of Os Tupis sealing the victory. Chile was also guilty of many unforced errors. This handed over possession to Brazil repeatedly.

Rugby Canada
Canada’s rugby community has not reacted well to CEO Allen Vansen’s rapidly-released statement following the failure to capture the Americas 2 spot. In it Vansen refers to Rugby Canada’s restructuring in 2017 following a comprehensive program review. The changes saw both Senior Men’s Head Coach Mark Anscombe and General Manager Jim Dixon depart the organization. Anscombe has since been replaced by Kingsley Jones while Rugby Development Manager Dustin Hopkins is acting as General Manager until a permanent replacement is identified. The organization has also been without a High Performance Manager since Steve Lancaster opted to return home to New Zealand in January 2015. Calls for further changes to the administration are unlikely to subside quickly given the historic failures accumulated since Rugby World Cup 2015.

Americas Teams in Hamilton Sevens
The 2017 Hamilton 7’s were not a flash tournament for the Americas. Fiji won the competition in New Zealand’s fourth largest city. Argentina, Canada and the USA, meanwhile, were all flops. Forgettable results on Day One saw all eliminated from the competition early. None were involved in the Cup Quarter Finals. Ultimately the USA recorded a 31-12 victory over Argentina to claim the Challenge Trophy.