Team of the Week

Late but not forgotten! There was a heck of a lot of games to get through over the past week. Two rounds of the Americas Pacific Challenge, the opening weekend of the Challenge and Champions Cups, the final round of the Mitre 10 Cup, plus the usual RFU Championship and Pro D2 fare. Without further adieu…

1 – Mateo Sanguinetti (Uruguay ‘A’) There would be no complaints from us if you picked Argentina’s Franco Brarda in your team. We’ve plumped for Sanguinetti who was his usual self, dominant in the scrum and constantly working in the loose. His next stop is the MLR combine at Glendale.

2 – Mike Sosene-Feagai (Auckland) Almost a coin-toss decision with Germán Kessler also class for Uruguay. Both players played two games, both scored two tries. Sosene-Feagai gets the nod for the best individual performance in an outstanding all-around showing against Southland.

3 – Lucas Favre (Argentina XV) Came off the bench in the blowout win over Canada, then got the start against the USA. The latter saw him thoroughly dominate the set piece and power his way over for a try. An awkward scrummager but relatively short for a tighthead, given Argentina’s dearth of loosehead options he might look to give the other side of the scrum a crack.

4 – Ignacio Larrague (Argentina XV) The long arm of Nick Civetta touched down for Doncaster against Bedford. Larrague isn’t the sort to score tries. Instead he’s the prototypical enforcer, smashing through walls and making players think twice about contesting at the tackle. He was a major presence in the contact area against the USA.

5 – Evan Olmstead (Auckland) Came off the bench against Southland and then started in the derby against North Harbour. His influence in the side has increased as the season has gone on, and now he’s set to make an impact in the playoffs. His tackling, carrying, and mongrel around the breakdown will not have gone unnoticed by the Blues selectors.

6 – Tyler Ardron (Bay of Plenty) Another who has grown into the season. Ardron captained the Steamers down the home stretch and led by example. Against Northland he punched holes in the defensive line and put in a number of tackles. Will be a key man for Canada in the Repechage.

7 – Santiago Grondona (Argentina XV) Fresh out of the u20 program and not at all out of place in the APC. Mario Ledesma rates him highly and it’s not hard to see why. Put in a big shift in the win over Canada and then scored a try off the bench against the USA.

8 – Tony Lamborn (Southland) It was two games for the Stags captain this week. First he was on defense duty against Auckland, then he put in an impressive carrying performance against Manawatu. Sadly both games were defeats. Manuel Diana made a significant impact coming off the bench for Uruguay against both the USA and Samoa.

9 – Santiago Arata (Uruguay ‘A’) A late scratch ahead of the final against Samoa, and his absence was keenly felt. Arata was the best player on the field against the USA Selects, scoring two tries and generally making everyone else look pedestrian.

10 – Will Hooley (Bedford) The Blues edged Doncaster by just one point and they have their Eagles rep to thank for it. He had a super game with a direct role in four tries that included two huge cut-out passes and a kick into space for his wingers to score.

11 – Ryan Matyas (USA Select XV) Three tries in two games, if anyone was out to make a point for the USA it was the Legionnaire. Matyas made the most out of every carry and secured his spot on the November tour, if it was ever in doubt. Left wing was the place to be this week with Federico Favaro putting in a big performance against the USA.

12 – Andrés Vilaseca (Uruguay ‘A’) Very influential in the win over the USA, he was rewarded with a long-range try on full-time. He was also effective against Samoa, finding gaps in the defense and putting his team on the front foot. The final result was not reflective of his performance.

13 – Agustín Segura (Argentina XV) A late call-up to the squad after Juan Pablo Castro was forced to withdraw, Segura is another Pumitas graduate who will be closely monitored by the senior selectors. At 1.88m (6’2″) he is a physical presence and used his strength to score two tries against Canada.

14 – Kainoa Lloyd (Canada ‘A’) It was a decision between Argentina’s Facundo Cordero and the Canadian flyer Lloyd. Both played on the left wing, but we needed somebody on the right side. Lloyd just gets the not after his searing hat-trick effort against Tonga to salvage a win for the Canadians on Sunday.

15 – Theo Sauder (Canada ‘A’) Moved to fullback by Kingsley Jones to take advantage of his speed and vision. Sauder was one of Canada’s best players in the tournament, scoring the only try against Argentina and creating space for Lloyd to score against Tonga.