2018 ARC Dream Team

The 2018 Americas Rugby Championship is now behind us. Sad days indeed as we must wait until next February for the next edition. This year’s tournament provided plenty of exciting rugby and several historic moments – Brazil’s first-ever victory in Chile, Uruguay’s World Cup qualifying heroics, and of course the USA’s victory over the Argentina XV and subsequent Grand Slam success, the first ever repeat winners of the competition.

Once again player availability affected selections for each team and as such our own. As in previous years we restricted our select XV to players who have appeared in a minimum of two tournament matches. Individual round selections were important but not the deciding factor as we weighed both overall contributions as well as outstanding individual performances. In the case of the Canada-Uruguay series only the first match was considered as the second, in Montevideo, was not part of the ARC.

1 – Titi Lamositele (USA) A position that struggled with consistency for most teams, the Eagles included. The first two matches, however, were enough to convince us that Lamositele was the best of the bench. He was a dominant figure at scrum time and played nearly the entire match against both Argentina and Canada. With any luck he will enjoy a an injury-free stretch that should see him make more of an impact in the Aviva Premiership with Saracens.

2 – Germán Kessler (Uruguay) No contest here. The default selection at hooker every week he took the field. Only exceptional outings from Eagles hookers and an injury in Round 3 denied him a clean sweep. Los Teros were noticeably weaker in his absence. A prototypical modern hooker with strong set piece fundamentals and the mobility of a loose forward, at 23 he is still improving and has room to further develop his physique.

3 – Jardel Vettorato (Brazil) Another unanimous selection. The 32-year-old lawyer from Porto Alegre made a triumphant return to the Tupis having appeared only once in national colors since February 2016 due to his professional commitments. Vettorato inspired his team to the historic win over Chile in Santiago and maintained his form throughout. He missed only the disastrous trip to Langford, otherwise he was indispensable both in the set piece and with his swashbuckling carrying in the loose.

4 – Ignacio Dotti (Uruguay) Our first real debate. Kyle Baillie was one of Canada’s best performers while Nick Civetta was a key man for the Eagles when available. Dotti started the year in red hot form, starring in the wins over Canada and though he faded somewhat due to fatigue, remained a vital contributor to the success of Los Teros. His lineout work was high quality and he has become a confident ball carrier. Like his teammate Kessler, Dotti is only 23 and still has room to improve.

5 – Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV) The first of two repeat selections in this year’s team. In terms of sheer physicality only the USA’s Ben Landry compares but even he does not quite have the same impact when it comes to clearing rucks and playing the ‘enforcer’ role. Larrague can appear awkward at times but is deceivingly quick with the dexterity to offload in the tackle or pass just before contact. He was a surprise absentee from the initial Jaguares training group and seems likely to get the call at some point this season.

6 – Hanco Germishuys (USA) Blasts his way into the team by force of will alone. Among the most difficult men in the competition to tackle, the 21-year-old exploded into World Cup contention with a superb tournament, finishing in a three-way tie for the top try scorer. The only question seems to be what his best position might be. After pondering a conversion to hooker, it’s safe to say the back row is still his future. One third of the best loose forward trio in the tournament.

7 – Lucas Rumball (Canada) His turnaround in form has been remarkable. After a a tepid year in 2017 his future looked very far from assured. Whatever has happened since, Rumball lived up to the promise he showed as a national u20 captain with some outstanding individual efforts on both sides of the ball. Such was his form that he was acting vice-captain on the South American tour and if he can continue in this vein there’s no reason to think the armband might one day be his. The USA’s Tony Lamborn also enjoyed a fine tournament and wasn’t far off.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) Our choice as Player of the Tournament and it’s unlikely there will be many complaints. A dominant figure in each and every match with his all-around play, he looks to be enjoying his rugby again after being woefully underappreciated at Cardiff Blues. Their loss is San Diego’s gain as Dolan now looks set to be one of the star players in the inaugural Major League Rugby season.

9 – Santiago Arata (Uruguay) A handful of players did well in spurts but none displayed the class of the young Teros assassin. Arata played in two games and is so influential he simply had to be included. With dazzling speed off the mark, accurate service, and a decent left boot, the 21-year-old has professional written all over him. The question now is who will win the race to sign him?

10 – Juan Cruz González (Argentina XV) His second selection to a tournament XV after getting the nod in 2016, and two years later it was in similar circumstances. González wasn’t perfect and had competition from the USA’s Will Magie and Brazil kicker Josh Reeves, but ultimately none were convincing. To be fair, there were times that González looked to be playing by himself with an uninspired Argentina side failing to impress despite finishing in second spot. In terms of ability he stands apart with his attack-first approach and snappy distribution. Greater consistency would have made the decision less cumbersome.

11 – Ryan Matyas (USA) Missed the South American leg of the tournament but was so impressive in the opening three matches that he was a virtual shoe-in before the final rounds were played. Has improved immeasurably since his debut in 2016, with his work ethic demanding inclusion in the Eagles side. Not the biggest or fastest winger nor does he appear a gifted footballer, but he is a solid all-around player who knows when to come in off his wing and has the vision to break the line or seek out support runners. A dark horse for World Cup contention last year, it will take some doing to deny him a place now.

12 – Bryce Campbell (USA) The third two-time selection and one of only two returnees from last year, he was even better this time around. His size and strength make him a very difficult customer with ball in hand and a formidable defender. Campbell started every match for the Eagles and played both inside and outside center. It’s the former where he looks most effective with solid distribution skills both before and after the tackle. We haven’t seen much of his kicking game but thus far it hasn’t mattered.

13 – Santiago Resino (Argentina XV) A very close call, the toughest of the team. Juan Manuel Cat won two weekly nods and at his best was superb for Los Teros. Our choice was Resino, a player whose attributes are remarkably similar to his Uruguayan counterpart. Relatively small in stature but strongly built and not short on determination, the 22-year-old was the find of the tournament if not Argentina’s best player outright. A classic outside center with the ability to break wide or step inside and an accurate defender. Resino led the tournament with four tries scored, one better than Cat.

14 – Mike Te’o (USA) Another tricky selection, with Uruguay’s Nicolás Freitas an exceptional defender and Argentina’s Rodrigo Etchart potent with ball in hand. Te’o could have been selected as a fullback, where he spent much of the tournament, but with even more significant competition there we opted to choose him on the wing from where he scored two tries against Uruguay. As an attacking player he just does things that few other players can match, popping up when you least expect him or simply making defenders look foolish. Our only complaint is that he didn’t see enough ball, otherwise he might have scored more than the four tries he recorded.

15 – Tomás Ianiszewski (Chile) His country’s best player throughout, and in no way a token selection. The lanky speedster has everything you want from a fullback – speed, vision, a good boot, and bravery. His 24 points were good enough for 5th best and represented one third of Chile’s points. Only Brazil’s Josh Reeves had a greater influence in percentage. Ianiszewski is exactly the type of player who would benefit from a professional environment, one that now appears on the way for South America. Others in contention were Uruguay’s classy Rodrigo Silva and up-and-coming Argentine prospect Juan Cruz Mallía.

WEEKLY SELECTIONS

Round 1 (Part 1 / Part 2)
1 Titi Lamositele (USA), 2 Joe Taufete’e (USA), 3 Jardel Vettorato (Brazil), 4 Ignacio Dotti (Uruguay), 5 Rodrigo Capó Ortega (Uruguay), 6 Evan Olmstead (Canada), 7 Juan Manuel Gaminara (Uruguay), 8 Hanco Germishuys (USA), 9 Santiago Arata (Uruguay), 10 Josh Reeves (Brazil), 11 Nicolás Freitas (Uruguay), 12 Ben LeSage (Canada), 13 Felipe Sancery (Brazil), 14 Tomás Ianiszewski (Chile), 15 Rodrigo Silva (Uruguay)

Round 2
1 Axel Zapata (Argentina XV), 2 Germán Kessler (Uruguay), 3 Lucas Favre (Argentina XV), 4 Kyle Baillie (Canada), 5 Nick Civetta (USA), 6 Hanco Germishuys (USA), 7 Lucas Rumball (Canada), 8 Cam Dolan (USA), 9 Laurent Bourda-Couhet (Brazil), 10 Juan Cruz González (Argentina XV), 11 Ryan Matyas (USA), 12 Moisés Duque (Brazil), 13 Dylan Audsley (USA), 14 DTH van der Merwe (Canada), 15 Tomás Ianiszewski

Round 3
1 Djustice Sears-Duru (Canada), 2 James Hilterbrand (USA), 3 Jake Ilnicki (Canada), 4 Josh Larsen (Canada), 5 Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV), 6 Francisco Gorrissen (Argentina XV), 7 Lucas Rumball (Canada), 8 Cam Dolan (USA), 9 Tomás Inciarte (Uruguay), 10 Juan Cruz González (Argentina XV), 11 Ryan Matyas (USA), 12 Bryce Campbell (USA), 13 Juan Manuel Cat (Uruguay), 14 Rodrigo Etchart, 15 Juan Cruz Mallía (Argentina XV)

Round 4
1 Huluholo Mo’ungaloa (USA), 2 Germán Kessler (Uruguay), 3 Santiago Medrano (Argentina XV), 4 Ben Landry (USA), 5 Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV), 6 Mariano Romanini (Argentina XV), 7 Hanco Germishuys (USA), 8 Manuel Diana (Uruguay), 9 Domingo Saavedra (Chile), 10 Will Magie (USA), 11 Federico Favaro (Uruguay), 12 Joaquín Prada (Uruguay), 13 Santiago Resino (Argentina XV), 14 Kainoa Lloyd (Canada), 15 Mike Te’o (USA)

Round 5
1 Lucas Abud (Brazil), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (USA), 3 Jardel Vettorato (Brazil), 4 Kyle Baillie (Canada), 5 Cléber Dias (Brazil), 6 Hanco Germishuys (USA), 7 Tony Lamborn (USA), 8 Cam Dolan (USA), 9 Shaun Davies (USA), 10 Will Magie (USA), 11 Kainoa Lloyd (Canada), 12 Bryce Campbell (USA), 13 Juan Manuel Cat (Uruguay), 14 Cole Davis (Canada), 15 Mike Te’o (USA)