Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.

 

UP

Brazil
History was made on Saturday with Brazil wining the inaugural Sudamericano 6 Naciones ‘A’. Os Tupis did so in style by downing Colombia 67-5. Their title was well deserved with a strong win over Chile in Round 1 and the Argentina XV being punished for their casual approach in Round 2. It is a further boost for Brazil, a country now in the upper categories of Tier 3 rugby and represents a changing of the guard with veterans João Luiz da Ros and Jonatas Paulo calling time on their international careers and younger players stepping into the frame.

Chile
Having started so badly in São Paulo, Chile turned around their Sudamericano 6 Naciones ‘A’ tournament in style. Wins against the Uruguay XV and Paraguay give much needed confidence. Saturday’s 97-0 blowout over the Yakarés showed their ability to play attractive attacking rugby and featured a large number of young players. By addressing the country’s off-field issues there is plenty to hope for in the future for a stronger, more competitive Chile in the Americas Rugby Championship.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The first game of the year for both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia saw the men in green going to Castries and returning home with a win. The 17-14 victory was hard fought with both sides in with a chance right until the end. Focus must now turn to both being added to the Rugby Americas North Trophy for 2019.

Trinidad & Tobago
This past weekend’s Rugby Americas North Championship match took place in the Port of Spain. At home Trinidad & Tobago were forced to play out of their skins to see off Bermuda. Ultimately they won by three points, claiming a 27-24 victory. They now have a break before returning to international duty on June 16 and 23 against the USA South Panthers and the Cayman Islands.

Argentina XV
Eight days after their meltdown defeat against Brazil, the Argentina XV bounced back to hammer the Uruguay XV. The 64-15 win featured ten tries in all and performances by many players of note. It is good news for not only the Argentina XV but also for Los Jaguares and Los Pumas. Both Manuel Montero and Matías Moroni made their comebacks in the match. They are serious options for Argentina for 2018 as are teammates Rodrigo Bruni and Tomás Cubelli.

Jaguares
Los Jaguares have now won five matches in a row. It is a feat never before achieved by the Argentine side in Super Rugby. Captained by Tomás Lezana, the side scored seven tries against the Bulls on Saturday to win 54-24. The team is well positioned to now make history and reach the play-off’s. The team face the Sharks this coming Friday in their final match before breaking for the June internationals.

Tyler Ardron
Ardron impressed this weekend, scoring for the Chiefs in Super Rugby. The try came from a lineout move with Ardron gathering a long throw and charging over. Ultimately they would fall against the Sharks who had a much stronger team due to many Chiefs being called back home to prepare for international duty for the All Blacks. Ardron’s form will give Canada added attention in the World Cup should the North Americans seal their spot via the Repechage this November.

Rodrigo Capó Ortega, Benjamín Urdapilleta
37-year-old Capó Ortega is in another Top 14 Semi Final. The Uruguayan came off the bench for Castres who defeated Toulouse on the road in their barrage play-off. Also involved was Urdapilleta who started at flyhalf and kicked three goals. Castres play Racing 92 in the second Semi Final while Lyon face Montpellier in the first. Both are to be played in Lyon.

Juan Figallo, Chris Wyles
Tries were scored by both Figallo and Wyles on Saturday. The Argentine and USA players crossed for Saracens in a winning effort against the Wasps. Their team will now take-on the Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership Final this coming Saturday. For Wyles it is to be his final ever match for Saracens. Having made over 250 appearances the former Captain America may yet add a further title to his impressive resume.

Seattle Seawolves
The Seawolves moved clear into second spot on the Major League Rugby table with a thrilling win over the Utah Warriors on Sunday. Central to the 41-32 win was their impressive commitment in defense, a dominant scrum, and perfect goal kicking from Peter Smith and Brock Staller. The Warriors also played well despite coming up short. Seattle have sold out their home games and Starfire Stadium has now become a highlight of the inaugural season. Now if they can only do something about those field lines…

Washington and Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby’s debut season is not yet over but it has been highly successful. Next year promises to be even better. Washington DC is the latest to be added as a future franchise though they may not officially join the program until 2020. It’s the second East Coast franchise to be confirmed after Rugby United New York.

Women’s Eagles at Soldier Field
A record crowd looms for Women’s Rugby in November. Soldier Field in Chicago will play host to a Triple-Header with the USA Men’s and Women’s teams both involved. The USA Women’s side will take-on the World Champions, New Zealand in the first of the three fixtures. It is to be a unique opportunity for Women’s rugby. The record attendance recorded at a Women’s World Cup match was 20,000 for Canada vs England in the 2014 Final at Paris’s Stade Jean Bouin. Last year’s Women’s World Cup had 17,115 in a tendency for the final.

Maori All Blacks
The USA Eagles will face the Maori All Blacks in November. They will do so in game three of the Chicago Triple-Header after the USA Women’s Eagles vs New Zealand and the test match between Ireland and Italy. It is to be a tough assignment for the Eagles but a match at the right time to combine Major League talent with the Americas 1 spot. The Maori All Blacks are to fly south from Chicago to play Chile. A third match is expected to come against Brazil but there will be no game vs Uruguay. Los Teros’ trip to Ulster means they will play exclusively on the road in November.

 

UNDER

Bermuda
Defeated against the USA South Panthers and Trinidad & Tobago leave just the Cayman Islands in the way of Bermuda’s relegation. The bottom-placed side in the 2018 Rugby Americas North Championship is relegated to the Rugby Americas North Cup next year and Bermuda is now virtually assured of being that side. This is the case despite Bermuda being very unfortunate not to win on Saturday in the Port of Spain.

Paraguay
The Yakarés had a promising beginning to their 6 Naciones but it came to a crashing halt against Chile. Any time a team losses by 97 points there is something gravely wrong. Paraguay simply had nothing for Los Cóndores and looked completely out of it by the end of the first quarter. It’s been a step up in competition this year for the Yakarés and a learning experience but performances like the one on Saturday cannot be accepted from a team capable of much more.

Colombia
Los Tucanes’ first taste of the top level of South American competition is now in the record books. The team played well against the Uruguay XV and Paraguay but was no match for Brazil in their final fixture. The experience showcased the massive transformation that has taken place following the creation of the Americas Rugby Championship. Playing catch-up ball for Colombia and Paraguay is to be a feature for the coming years.

Uruguay XV
The Uruguay XV is the national ‘A’ side yet their line-up that faced the Argentina XV on Sunday was very close to the genuine article – Los Teros. Missing were European-based players and a small number of top domestic talent. The team failed to fire in Buenos Aires, falling to a 64-15 defeat. It followed a home loss against Chile eight days earlier and an underwhelming win over Colombia in Medellín during round one of the Sudamericano 6 Naciones ‘A’. Overall an unhappy campaign for the Uruguayans.

Houston SaberCats
The Cats came into the season with huge momentum behind them after an extensive preseason schedule. Was it too much? Their regular season matches have been disappointing to say the least. On Saturday they looked the better side for large parts of the game but couldn’t put points on the board and fell to a second defeat to the NOLA Gold. It’s hard to gauge what exactly is going wrong but their Semi Final hopes are in the balance when they play the Utah Warriors in Houston on Saturday.

Ontario Arrows vs Canada Selects
It’s fair to say the match itself was a gross disappointment. What should have been a chance for players to display their skills was instead a tiresome slog with too many mistakes, too many penalties, and little ambition. Choppy field conditions didn’t help the occasion and with luck the return fixture on the turf in Langford this coming weekend will be a vastly different match. On the plus nearly 1,500 fans showed up to support the Arrows on a Friday evening before the long weekend. There is an appetite for high performance rugby in Toronto.

Callum Black
Having turned down two World Cups for the Eagles, the DC-born Callum Black was set to make 2019 his first. However, the man moving from Ulster in Northern Ireland to Worcester in England has made an about-face and withdrawn his name from contention. The decision was made by Black and was not taken well by Eagles Head Coach Gary Gold.

Wales Missing Names
Welsh head Coach Warren Gatland will not be taking Wales’ finest team to the Americas next month. His initial roster confirmed this while he has now had to replace further players. Tomas Francis, Luke Charteris, and Josh Adams join the missing list. The reason being Wales’ match against South Africa in DC falls outside of the player release window. Meanwhile Wales have no match at all on the third weekend of the release window. Better organization from Wales in the future would be a good start.

RWC 2019 Europe 1
The committee appointed by World Rugby came to the conclusion many had predicted – Belgium, Romania, and Spain all breached player eligibility laws and were disqualified from the qualifying process for RWC 2019. For Romania it sees the country removed despite having already qualified and been listed by World Rugby. Tickets were even sold for Romania matches. The saga is not yet over with Romania and Spain set to appeal.