ARC Team of the Week

The Americas Rugby Championship is done and dusted, which means we have two tasks to get to. First up is our final weekly selection of the tournament.

The USA’s enormous win over Uruguay means that a whopping eight Eagles are named, but a couple Teros stood out in the face of defeat to join them. Canada won convincingly yet still flattered to deceive, and despite winning the Argentina XV are completely shut out – their win coming by virtue of accuracy in scoring position and the disappointing Brazilian backs who wasted much of the possession their excellent tight forwards had won.

Task two will be to name the 2018 ARC Dream Team, a selection that will require some discussion over the weekend. Look for that team to be posted on Monday.

1 – Lucas Abud (Brazil) Didn’t enjoy his best tournament, dropping in and out of the side, but saved his best for last. Dominated the Argentines in the scrum – no mean feat! Didn’t go missing in the loose, he put in his share of piano moving.

2 – Dylan Fawsitt (USA) Scored his first test try with a spin-o-rama worthy of a winger and looked energetic around the pitch, as he always does. Has put himself firmly in the mix for World Cup selection in an impressive pool of Eagles rakes. Next up it’s history in the making as he suits up for RUNY.

3 – Jardel Vettorato (Brazil) Still feeling the effects of the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the tournament but that didn’t stop him from putting in another grand effort. Along with Abud he controlled the scrum and had a couple trademark carries in the loose.

4 – Kyle Baillie (Canada) Another good game for the man from Summerside, who thankfully made the trip south instead of returning to London Scottish. Abrasive in the loose and controlled the lineout. Snagged an opportune try from close range to secure the win before halftime.

5 – Cléber Dias (Brazil) Doesn’t seem to have a bad game, regardless of position. Gave Argentina problems at the lineout, pinching one that should have resulted in a score. Carried with purpose made his tackles count. The Tupis could use a few more like him.

6 – Hanco Germishuys (USA) Seems to find the tryline in every match. Scored from a driving maul to finish the tournament as the joint leader with four. Might have been the leader had he not been denied another by a professional foul from Arata.

7 – Tony Lamborn (USA) Scored the first try with a quick tap and won a turnover immediately following to create another. The tireless ball hunter in an outstanding loose forward trio that completely outplayed their opposites.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) Firing on all cylinders at the moment. Running angles, winning lineouts, offloading. A dominant figure as the Eagles ran rampant. Set to be the main man for the San Diego Legion.

9 – Shaun Davies (USA) Santiago Arata let his fiery temperament get the better of him at times and got a yellow card for his troubles. Davies played all 80 minutes, cool as a cucumber, and directed the Eagles attack with aplomb. Might not supply the flash of Nate Augspurger but with the kind of firepower available out wide his snappy service is a perfect fit.

10 – Will Magie (USA) Likely his best performance in an Eagles jersey. Decision making was spot on and his varied kicking game either pinned down Uruguay or ended in the hands of his teammates. Six from seven off the tee. As the competition heats up for the Eagles flyhalf spot, Magie did his chances no harm.

11 – Kainoa Lloyd (Canada) Earned his starting spot with an impressive cameo against the Argentina XV and delivered with a strong performance against Chile. Incredibly difficult to tackle, he scored the first Canadian try and proved a thorn to the Chilean defense with ever touch.

12 – Bryce Campbell (USA) While teammates all around him were doing the scoring, Campbell was busy cracking open the defense. Touched the ball twice on the move that led to Fawsitt try, floated a miss pass to Te’o for his second, won the turnover that created a try for Josh Whippy.

13 – Juan Manuel Cat (Uruguay) Brilliant step back inside to score, and scythed through to put Gaston Mieres away late in the game. Won a turnover and defended well throughout. A shame many of his teammates couldn’t find another gear in the first half.

14 – Cole Davis (Canada) Only his second test start but there are certainly more to come. Showed pace and power, blasting through the line on multiple occasions. Followed up Andrew Ferguson’s break to grab his second test try.

15 – Mike Te’o (USA) Showed his pace to sprint away for his first try, Johnny on the spot for the second. Chased down kicks and even filled in at halfback. Replaced early otherwise he might have found a hat trick. Started up the wing but with two good players there already we’ll take him at the back where he played the rest of the tourney.