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

Argentina
Los Pumas returned to winning ways on Saturday, defeating South Africa 32-19 in Mendoza. A week after losing to the same opposition a far better performance saw Argentina beating the Springboks for the third time and doing so by a record margin. The game was just the second since Mario Ledesma replaced Daniel Hourcade.

Panama
A solid 51-26 win by Panama on Saturday gives them the 2018 Centroamericano title. The win over El Salvador combined with an earlier victory over Honduras ends the tournament with Panama unbeaten. El Salvador finish second and Honduras in third spot. Curiously Nicaragua missed out on competing yet they defeated Panama in the 2017 competition.

Paraguay
A nine point victory over Mexico was a solid Americas Rugby Challenge opener for Paraguay. The match saw a satisfying performance from the team overall with Sergio Alvarenga being the stand-out for his two tries, goal kicking and also his double success at drop goals. With Guyana up next on Wednesday Paraguay are well placed to push for the title.

Colombia
Los Tucanes were the most impressive of all Americas’ teams in international competition this weekend. A 71-7 victory over Guyana sees Colombia well positioned to push for a win over Mexico on Wednesday and a tournament triumph against favorites Paraguay on Saturday. Sebastián Mejía led by example from no 8 while center José Manuel Diosa slotted goals and scored a hat-trick.

Belize
In a historic first Belize has named a national 7’s team. Head Coach Brendan Meaney has named a side for Belize’s debut on the international stage. The team will play against southern and western neighbors Guatemala. The naming marks an important step forward for Rugby Belize. Over time the union is seeking to join Rugby Americas North and eventually play in regional competition.

Ontario Blues
The Ontario Blues had just enough gas in the tank to get the job done, defeating the Atlantic Rock 22-17 at Calgary Rugby Park to finish tops in the Canadian Rugby Championship and lift their 6th MacTier Cup. It is the finish they wanted after losing the title to the Bears in 2017. With the CRC out of the way Canada’s finest home-based talent will resume preparing for the all-important RWC Repechage.

Liga Americana de Rugby
It is official – the Liga Americana de Rugby will begin in 2020. outh America’s professional rugby competition will debut as an eight team league featuring competitors from five different countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.  Colombia is on the radar to be included. Also in the frame, further down the road, are Mexico and Peru. Mexico is also linked to a possible place in Major League Rugby.

Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby and France’s LNR are to explore potential areas of strategic collaboration. Opportunities exist in a variety of areas including coaching and match official exchanges, strength and conditioning programs, refereeing, marketing and matches involving teams from the respective competitions. The LNR administrates the top two divisions of French professional rugby – Top 14 and Pro D2 – but has openly stated its interest in creating a third tier.

Argentina Close to Joining Currie Cup
Advanced plans have been revealed for Argentina to join South Africa’s Currie Cup in 2019. It will see a new-look team in place acting as a means for Argentina XV players to play with greater frequency and at a higher level. With it the pathway to Super Rugby will be simplified and there will be more opportunities  to develop players.

Juan Imhoff, Rodrigo Capó Ortega, Benjamín Urdapilleta
A season opening upset in France saw Racing 92 defeating Toulon on the road. The match-winning try was scored by Juan Imhoff. The return of the Argentine speedster to Los Pumas was been widely speculated. Benjamín Urdapilleta is another playing well but missing from international duty based on politics. Surely this will change sooner or later. Meanwhile 37-year-old Rodrigo Capó Ortega scored in Castres’ win over Montpellier on Sunday. The Uruguayan legend is among the modern greats of our sport.

 

UNDER

Guyana
Beaten by 11 tries to 1 on Sunday were Guyana. The Green Machine were totally outclassed by Colombia yet it may get worse as Paraguay await Guyana on Wednesday. The Americas Rugby Challenge is very much a serious challenge for the Guyanese though they have demonstrated over the years that they can go from cold to hot from one match to the next.

Super 16
Six of the eight Quarter Finalists in Brazil’s inaugural Super 16 are known. This fact, though, is an afterthought when looking over results from this past weekend. There were no competitive matches. The closest saw SPAC winning 42-12 against Pé Vermelho. Elsewhere Poli won 47-0 against Band Saracens, Rio de Janeiro state clubs Guanabara and Niteroí fell respectively by scorelines of 70-6and 62-0 against São Paulo clubs São José and Pasteur. Curitiba won 91-0 against Templários yet it got worse as Jacareí defeated Belo Horizonte 106-0.

2016 Olympic Games Rugby
Brazil’s UFRJ stadium is abandoned. The site of Rugby 7’s at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games is now a picture of overgrown grass with local authorities joining those from the Greece and China Olympics games in constructing facilities only to not put them into use following the games.

Martin Landajo
The dynasty has ended. Martín Landajo missed out on playing for Argentina for the first time since Los Pumas faced Georgia in San Juan in June 2013. On that occasion a developmental side faced the Lelos. Saturday’s match against South Africa was Argentina’s first Rugby Championship match without Landajo. He played in every match under Daniel Hourcade over five years, earning 61 caps and starting 42 matches.

Agen
Mauricio Reggiardo’s Agen started the season in forgettable fashion. A 67-23 hammering against Clermont saw the club well beaten and exposed. Argentine Patricio Fernández converted two tries for the winners, doing so hours before Agen hooker Facundo Bosch made his test debut for Argentina. Agen will need to be better quickly as the battle to avoid relegation will quickly become a theme.

Sergio Parisse
No8 Sergio Parisse was sent off in the opening half of the Top 14 season opener. Playing in his 14th season for Stade Français the Italian captain from La Plata, Argentina was shown red against Perpignan. He was deemed by the officials to have elbowed an opponent in the head.

Delon Armitage
Victim of a serious knee injury, Delon Armitage will not play rugby again this year. In the first game of the Top 14 season the Trinidad & Tobago born fullback was stretchered off against Toulouse. His return to rugby will not be until well into 2019, complicating matters notably for Lyon. The injury took place in the 64th minute.

Australia
If this is not crisis point for the Wallabies then reality has not set in. Australia’s back-to-back defeats against New Zealand saw them outplayed from A to Z. Head coach Michael Cheika is under pressure from the media yet has brushed off criticism. Having lost a home series 2-1 against Ireland in June 2018 Australia desperately need wins. Next up is a home match against South Africa in Brisbane.