ARC Team of the Week

It was a bit of a weird week in the Americas Rugby Championship. The three favorites all won but none in spectacular fashion. Canada broke out of their duck but left a lot to be desired against a poor Brazilian team. The USA stumbled through the first half before exploding in the second. Argentina were badly shaken by Uruguay and weren’t as dominant as the scoreline suggested.

Our selection this week is made up of players from only four of the six teams. As expected Brazil has nothing to show for their poor showing in Langford and while Chile were overwhelmed in Fullerton they at least manage a couple honorable mentions. Canadians make up half the forward pack and the rest are fairly evenly distributed.

1 – Djustice Sears-Duru (Canada) Had a field day running through timid defenders at will, highlighted by his best Ash Splash impression as he burst onto an offload and over the tryline. Pulverized his opposite in the scrum. Francisco Ferronato of the Argentina XV also had a fine day at the office, scoring yet another try and dominating the scrum until replaced early in the second half.

2 – James Hilterbrand (USA) Stepped into the starting role with Big Joe back in England and looked very much at home. Rock solid at the set piece and threw in a few big shoulders at the tackle. Also impressing was Argentina’s Diego Fortuny, like Ferronato a fine effort that deserved more game time.

3 – Jake Ilnicki (Canada) Less boisterous than his prop mate but every bit as productive. It was Ilnicki’s offload that put Sears-Duru in for his try. On one defensive stand in the first half he made three tackles in a 15-second span to shut down the Brazilian attack. His scrum work was also spot on. Mario Sagario completely changing the set piece for Uruguay in the second half.

4 – Josh Larsen (Canada) The workhorse. Has settled into the Canadian pack with his no-nonsense approach. Quite likely playing on a bad ankle suffered against Uruguay but you wouldn’t notice with the amount of tackles and heavy lifting he put in on Saturday. His second row mate Kyle Baillie also had a fine game before shipping back to England.

5 – Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV) Brutal and uncompromising as ever, the enforcer in the Argentine pack never shies away from a collision. He added a couple nice touches with ball in hand, one that put Germán Schulz in for a try that pushed his team ahead for good in the second half.

6 – Francisco Gorrissen (Argentina XV) Known more for his running and link play, Gorrissen rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into the dirty work against Los Teros. Used his pace to act as a key support player, never far from the ball and hard at work in defense.

7 – Lucas Rumball (Canada) Make it three in a row for the man from Balmy Beach. He’s not the biggest or the most athletic, but he has an engine that just doesn’t quit. Another match with countless tackles, rucks, and metres gained after contact.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) Had to laugh after knocking-on a certain try when he charged down a box kick in the opening minute. Not as flashy as the week before but still involved heavily in several attacking moves. Proved a dominant figure in the lineout and also tackled well.

9 – Tomás Inciarte (Uruguay) After one of his first passes skipped off the turf the youngster settled down and had a commendable performance. His box kick in behind the defense was the catalyst for the first try and he spotted space on the blindside to create another. Distributed well, challenged the fringes, and even cleared a couple rucks.

10 – Juan Cruz González (Argentina XV) Another rough week for flyhalves but Gonzalez was up to the task. Took on the line but also got his outside backs involved early. Grabbed an opportunistic try by picking up a loose ball and showing the defense a clean pair of heels.

11 – Ryan Matyas (USA) Absolutely outstanding in virtually every department. Went looking for work, sometimes on the opposite side of the pitch, and made ground with every touch of the ball. His inside pass to Nate Augspurger for a try was a thing of beauty.

12 – Bryce Campbell (USA) Charged through the line on numerous occasions and was rewarded for his efforts with one try while in support. While much of his team was floundering in the first half, Campbell was blasting holes and making his hits. Short ball inside put Dylan Audsley over for a try.

13 – Juan Manuel Cat (Uruguay) Two tries in the first half had the Argentines reeling. The first showed great support and awareness while the second finished off a team attack. Strong with ball in hand and made a couple key cover tackles. Might well have been advised to handle the kicking duties with Germán Albanell’s radar badly askew. Dylan Audsley also grabbed a brace for the Eagles but also made some mistakes, and Doug Fraser did well as a cannon ball while scoring on debut for Canada.

14 – Rodrigo Etchart (Argentina XV) Absolutely electric with ball in hand. The Uruguayan defenders seemed entranced every time he had possession. His solo effort in the second half was sensational and left Los Teros completely disheartened. The two Chilean wingers – Ítalo Zunino and Martín Raddatz – each impressed with Zunino showing his pace and determination while Raddatz displayed impressive footwork in tight spaces.

15 – Juan Cruz Mallía (Argentina XV) A solid midfielder but he really shines as a fullback. Looked class both with his counter attacking and general awareness. Add in some solid goal kicking and you have a young player worth watching. Mike Te’o had some shining moments for the Eagles and would have liked to have seen the ball more often.