ARC Team of the Week

The Americas Rugby Championship was back to its regularly scheduled programming with all six teams officially taking part in Round 2, so that’s where we’ve directed our focus in its entirety this week, and will continue to do so for the next three weeks.

It was an odd one in terms of performance. Uruguay didn’t play well but managed to pull through with the victory. Argentina had a sluggish first half and pulled away when Chile lost three players to the sin bin. Canada did not fare well as a team but had some strong individual efforts. The USA impressed the most and as such contribute a third of this week’s team, which somehow finds representatives of all six sides.

1 – Axel Zapata (Argentina XV) Previously selected as a hooker, Zapata took his first strides in representative rugby as a prop and looked very much at home. Dismantled poor Marco Díaz in the scrum and barged his way over for a try in a man-of-the-match performance. Djustice Sears-Duru was a strong candidate for Canada both with his carrying and in the scrum.

2 – Germán Kessler (Uruguay) Los Teros looked in rough shape in the first half against Brazil and there were moments went Kessler himself needed a breather, but for the most part he was a bright spot for the blue jerseys. Nailed his set pieces, burst through the line on a lovely give-and-go, and peeled off a maul to score a try from close range.

3 – Lucas Favre (Argentina XV) On the other side of the front row was a newcomer who signaled his arrival with a masterpiece in the art of the scrum. Also contributed well in the loose with his fair share of piano moving at the ruck. Jardel Vettorato was in the running once again for Brazil until he committed a yellow card offense that opened the door for Los Teros.

4 – Kyle Baillie (Canada) His first start back after an injury-enforced break was a good one. Didn’t make a lot of meters going forward but made the gain line and kept the ball moving forward. Made several tackles and cleared bodies at the ruck. Ben Landry made a noticeable impact for the Eagles when he arrived in the second half.

5 – Nick Civetta (USA) Has quietly become one of the USA’s most dependable forwards. A constant source of possession at the lineout and a high work rate around the pitch. Lovely offload from the deck kept an attacking move alive that yielded a line break.

6 – Hanco Germishuys (USA) A boy amongst men. Do we have that right? Another roaring performance with ball in hand. Simply refuses to go backwards at the point of contact, and rarely fails to drive straight through. His try was a demonstration of willpower. Seems to have found a home on the blindside.

7 – Lucas Rumball (Canada) Joins Germishuys in the back row once again, and this time concedes the 6 shirt to the man from the winning team. Rumball has found his mojo again and for Canadian fans it’s a huge sigh of relief. This carrying, tackling, and breakdown work were once again exemplary.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) A shout-out to Nicolás Sbrocco who was mightily impressive for the Argentina XV as a second half substitute. Dolan, however, was in imperious form for the Eagles. Showed his pace to get in behind the defense on the first Matyas try. Stepped to the inside from a scrum deep in his own end to break nearly to halfway. Received a yellow card in the second half but the damage was already done.

9 – Laurent Bourda-Couhet (Brazil) Has been a breath of fresh air for the Tupis, with his aggressive attacking style a perfect compliment for the more tactical half partner Josh Reeves. Had the Teros in all kinds of trouble in the first half but sadly his forwards ran out of gas in the second. Nate Augspurger had his moments for the Eagles and replacement Shaun Davies lifted the tempo just before the hour mark.

10 – Juan Cruz González (Argentina XV) Not really an ideal week for first receivers with a few contenders and no definitive standout. Reeves had a strong first half for Brazil but hardly saw the ball in the second forty. Will Magie had some nice touches with Will Hooley also impressing in his cameo. Tomás Granella was excellent for the Argentina XV, admittedly playing against a shorthanded Chile for much of his time on the field. González adapted well to the conditions and distributed accurately to keep his team headed in the right direction until they found their bearings late in the first half.

11 – Ryan Matyas (USA) On the other hand it was a pretty good week for wingers. Matyas scored two tries for the Eagles, the first a scorching cut back across the defense and the second finishing off a fine team move. Like many of his teammates he looks like a player desperate to hold on to his position.

12 – Moisés Duque (Brazil) Whether you need a hard line to get moving forward or soft hands to move the ball wide, or maybe just some timely kick coverage or a stout first-up tackle. Whatever it is, the São José king is your man. Duque gave everything but sadly could not drag his team to victory on his own.

13 – Dylan Audsley (USA) What joy for Gary Gold to see a young man in his test debut playing with such poise. Roped in two Canadian defenders before his out-the-back-door pass put Dolan in space. Stepped into gaps and always kept his feet moving. Never once looked rattled or out of his depth on either side of the ball. Fends off the challenge of Argentina XV try-scorer Santiago Resino.

14 – DTH van der Merwe (Canada) Both Argentine wingers – Julián Dominguez and Tomás Malanos – were dangerous with ball in hand. De Wet van Niekerk scored a fine try and played well but suffered from lack of opportunities in the second half. In his 50th test appearance van der Merwe was Canada’s most effective attacker by a wide margin. Will be haunted by a kick that was wrestled away by a pestilent wind but could not be questioned for his effort.

15 – Tomás Ianiszewski (Chile) Top marks once again for the outstanding Cóndores fullback. Courageous in defense, producing more than one try-saving tackle and stopping a certain try on a pushover scrum that ended the match. Speed of thought opened the door for his try with speed of foot taking him to the line. One of the best individual performers of the tournament thus far.