Team of the Week

The last week of the November test window has now passed and it’s hard to believe it but we’re just a month away from being in a World Cup year. It’ll be mostly European club sides who supply our selections next week. This week we saw four teams in test action and Brazil playing two provincial sides in Argentina.

1 – Mateo Sanguinetti (Uruguay) After a massively disappointing game against Fiji the Teros rolled their sleeves up against Romania and restored some confidence. The scrum was an area of strength with Sanguinetti in particular giving all kinds of problems to the two men he faced and lasting all 80 minutes in the historic win.

2 – Joe Taufete’e (USA) The change on fortunes for the Eagles after he went off early in the second half says it all. Big Joe was having a stormer, one of the best players on the pitch until he was knocked out. No longer a project, he stamped his arrival on the world scene with his outstanding effort in Dublin.

3 – Santiago Medrano (Argentina) Still has a ways to go in the scrum but against Scotland he held his own conceding only one free kick. In the loose he has been impressive both with his carrying and a consistently high tackle rate. Somehow stayed on for all 80 minutes at Murrayfield.

4 – Greg Peterson (USA) Last week we tipped the cap to Nick Civetta, this week it’s Peterson who gets the nod. It’s hard to stay focused when your team is outclassed to the tune of 54 points, but like many of his teammates his chin never dropped and he made a significant number of tackles around the fringes to try and stem the tide.

5 – Ignacio Dotti (Uruguay) We’ll forgive him for his late yellow card though it very well could have cost his team the game. Before that he was a big reason they were in it at all, however, with a huge effort around the park both at the set piece and particularly in defense.

6 – Kyle Baillie (Canada) Probably his country’s best over the Repechage series, if he wasn’t the top player each game he was in the top two. Against Hong Kong he was again all over the park, making big tackles and carrying effectively. Has added lineout calling to his repertoire with good returns.

7 – John Quill (USA) A mention for Hanco Germishuys who was tackling everything that moved. Quill is our choice, however, for his hard work around the fringes that often goes unseen. A constant thorn in the side of Ireland, he earned a few handshakes when he came off in the 68th minute.

8 – Rodrigo Bruni (Argentina) Got his first test start in Edinburgh, beginning the game on the blindside flank but switching to his favored No8 spot early in the second half. His strength in the contact area is a feature of his game and he almost invariably took two or three Scots with him.

9 – Phil Mack (Canada) Not at all a star performance but that is perhaps the best part. Captain Canada has been asked to set aside his run-and-gun style for the good of the team, and he has delivered exactly what Kingsley Jones ordered. His calm leadership style kept his team in the game when they were under huge pressure from Hong Kong.

10 – Tomás Albornoz (Tucumán) It was not a great week for the international options, with none really impressing. Our choice instead is Albornoz, the 2017 Pumitas graduate who inspired Tucuman to a late win over Brazil thanks in large part to an outstanding kicking performance. He scored 19 points in all including six off the tee and one drop goal.

11 – DTH van der Merwe (Canada) His teammates have been calling him Canada’s only world class player during the Repechage competition. Whether or not there are others, DTH lived up to his billing and them some in Marseille. Two tries against Hong Kong including a trademark finish down the sidelines saw Canada qualify for Japan in style.

12 – Jerónimo de la Fuente (Argentina) Played all but one minute against Scotland after some brief running repairs in the first half. He ran hard, tackled well, and completely nullified any advantage that was supposed to come from Finn Russell’s selection at inside center.

13 – Andrés Vilaseca (Uruguay) Arguably his country’s top performer over their four-match European trip. Vilaseca was on fire against Romania, coming up just short on one searing line break and taking it all the way with an intercept score that robbed the Oaks of their own try.

14 – Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina) Played at fullbacks but it wasn’t a particularly memorable week for wingers so that’s where we’ll take him. Covered well and had one particularly incisive counter attack that had the Scots deeply concerned.

15 – Daniel Sancery (Brazil) Two games in the space of five days was a big ask for the Tupis and they can pick out their star fullback as one of their best performers. He scored two outstanding tries against Salta on Tuesday, one a long-range sprint to the corner and another a remarkable display of footballing skill.